India’s strategic strike nuclear submarine INS Arihant successfully launched a ballistic missile – Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) – on Friday, the defence ministry said. The ministry also said that the weapon system’s operational and technological parameters had been validated.

The successful launch demonstrated crew competency while also validating the SSBN programme, which is a critical component of India’s nuclear deterrence capability, said the ministry.

“The missile was today tested to a predetermined range and it impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with high accuracy, validating all operational and technological parameters,” the statement said.

“The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability,” the statement added.

According to the ministry, the launch has “Credible Minimum Deterrence,” which is consistent with India’s “No First Use” policy.

The INS Arihant is India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine and the flagship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, launched in 2009 and based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine. The Arihant is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines developed for the Indian Navy. It was commissioned in 2016 after a series of sea trials. Arihant is the first ballistic missile submarine to be built by a country that is not one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.