New Delhi: Days ahead of a planned missile test by India, China has reportedly sent another spy ship into the waters of the Indian Ocean. According to the Defence Ministry, the Indian Navy is closely monitoring the movement of a Chinese research vessel from the instance it entered the Indian Ocean region, news agency ANI reported.
As per reports, the spy ships being deployed by the Chinese Navy are of the same class, and have been designed to monitor missile tests and the movement of satellites.
A report by NDTV stated that the Yuan Wang VI has already crossed into the Indian Ocean and is sailing off the coast of Bali as indicated by MarineTraffic website.
READ | ‘Knew Day Before There Will Be An Attack On Me’: Imran Khan On Assassination Bid
As per the report, the arrival of the Yuan Wang VI comes at a time when India is believed to have issued a NOTAM or Notice to Airmen announcing its intention to test a missile on a particular date and time.
As per the leading Open-Source Intelligence expert Damien Symon, the coordinates of this planned test indicate that a missile, with a range of 2,200 km, may be fired from Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha, between November 10-11.
#AreaWarning #India issues a notification for a no fly zone over the Bay of Bengal region indicative of upcoming missile test
Launch Window | 10 – 11 Nov 2022 pic.twitter.com/XqXVR2j9Y3
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) October 22, 2022
The report stated that the Chinese ‘research vessel’ may have been deployed to gather vital information about the missile, its trajectory, speed, range and accuracy.
Earlier in August, a Chinese high-tech ship had docked itself at the Sri Lankan port of Hambantota and departed after six days.