New naval test facility dedicated to nation

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday dedicated to the nation a one of its kind Sea-keeping and Maneuvering Basin (SMB) at the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) here.

The minister also handed over the "Maareech - Advanced Torpedo Defence System" developed by the DRDO to the Indian Navy.

Set up as a joint effort of the DRDO and the Indian Navy, the SMB facility is one of its kind in the country.

The facility puts India among the few nations in the world having the capability to undertake comprehensive hydrodynamic model testing of naval platforms and weapon systems.

SMB would help to design and build state of the art naval combatants such as submarines, ships, torpedoes, etc.

Maareech, a joint project of Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi and NSTL, Visakhapatnam is a state of the art indigenous system for torpedo detection and countermeasures.

This system offers a complete solution to detect and locate the incoming torpedo and to apply countermeasures to protect naval platforms against torpedo attacks.

Two production grade Maareech systems have been developed and user evaluation trials completed aboard two Indian Navy ships.

Complimenting the vital role of DRDO in self reliance and promoting the 'Make in India' efforts, the minister said the development of a complex system like Maareech is an excellent model of synergy among the DRDO, the Indian Navy, public and private industries, demonstrating yet another milestone in the 'Make in India' programme.