Source : Indian Defence Updates (IDU)
 |
| INS Arihant (SSBN 80) at Visakhapatnam dry dock (Image Credit: Damien Symon @detresfa_ Twitter) |
India’s first-generation indigenous Nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile Submarine INS Arihant SSBN was captured in satellite imagery at the maintenance dry dock in Visakhapatnam in November 2022.
INS Arihant’s 83-megawatt Pressurized Water Reactor has a refueling cycle of seven years and it is likely that our INS Arihant is undergoing its first Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) which is a process of refueling or replacing the enriched uranium fuel rods of the submarine reactor and this process can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months.
Not everyday you get to see the Indian Arihant Class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines in such detail, went into the dock in Nov 2022, appears its still there. pic.twitter.com/iPzlT3UT35
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) January 10, 2023
India’s second-generation Pressurized Water Reactor for the upcoming S5 class SSBNs will have a longer refueling cycle of 12 years that will significantly reduce the cost of the operation.
