Top military officials are set to be present at the inaugration of the submarine, with the nuclear-powered machine set to join INS Arihant as part of the country’s ‘nuclear triad,’ strengthening India’s ability to fire nukes from the air, land and the sea.
Armed with K-15 missiles – that are nuclear-tipped and have a range of 750 kilometres – the 6,000-tonne submarine became ‘fully ready’ earlier in August, following extensive trials and upgrades.
“While INS Arighat is of the same size, length and displacement as INS Arihant, she can carry more K-15 missiles. The new boat is much more capable, efficient and stealthy,” a source told Times of India.
While the new boat is an upgrade on the INSA Arihant, there is also common ground between the nuclear submarine siblings, with both powered by 83MW pressurized light-water reactors that ensure the ship can stay submerged for months on end. Conventional diesel-electric submarines are required to surface or “snorkel” every couple of days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries.
India also has two more SSBNs (naval parlance for nuclear-propelled submarines with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles) being built, with a slightly larger 7,000-tonne sub set to be commissioned next year, christened INS Aridhaman, she will carry K-4 missiles that have a range of 3,500 kilometres. The fourth submarine is in the works under the classified Rs 90,000 crore advanced technology vessel (ATV) project to bolster the country’s weak sea-based side of the nuclear troika. The other two, the land-based Agni ballistic missiles and fighter jets like Sukhoi-30MKIs, Mirage-2000s and Rafales that can drop nuclear gravity bombs from the air, are much more robust.India’s declared “no-first use” nuclear doctrine makes nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines essential for a deterrence strategy. These submarines are hard to detect and can avoid a surprise first strike, allowing India to launch retaliatory strikes if necessary.
However, India still lags behind bigger nuclear powers, with the US, Russia, and China possessing more advanced nuclear subs. China has six Jin-class SSBNs equipped with 10,000-km range JL-3 missiles and six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) for conventional warfare. The United States has an even more formidable fleet with 14 Ohio-class SSBNs and 53 SSNs.
According to a Times of India report, India has a plan for a ₹40,000 crore project in the works to build two 6,000-tonne `hunter-killer’ SSNs, armed with torpedoes, anti-ship and land-attack missiles, that is before the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security for a final nod. Current estimates expect the project to take over a decade to be completed.
