Visakhapatnam: The Vizag-based Naval Science and Technological Laboratory has developed an advanced torpedo defence system, christened Maareech, to divert incoming underwater torpedoes fired by the enemy away from valuable targets.
Maareech has completed all the trials and is set to be inducted into the Indian Navy. The NSTL is awaiting the visit of defence minister Manohar Parikkar to Vizag to officially launch and induct the system.
While submarines uses decoys as anti-torpedo systems, the system has been developed for surface ship for the first time. After completing trials at various stages, the prototypes of Maareech were tested on tested. The Indian Navy accepted the system and is ready for formal induction.
The NSTL took almost eight years to develop the “complex system.” NSTL is involved in research and development of underwater weapons and associated systems for Indian Navy.
“It’s for the first time that such a decoy system has been developed for surface ships. It’s also an advanced version of the regular decoys. It is ready to be officially inducted. The Indian Navy has accepted the decoy system and it can place the orders for its ships now,” Mr V. Bhujanga Rao, DRDO director-general, naval systems and materials, told this newspaper. Maareech, will be manufactured at, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Bengaluru.
