'More advanced': 10 key points on India's second nuclear sub INS Arighat

India's second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the INS Arighat, was inducted into the Indian Navy on Thursday

In a significant step towards augmenting India's nuclear deterrence, the country's second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arighat, was inducted into the Indian Navy on Thursday, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in attendance.

The commissioning ceremony for INS Arighat, the second Arihant-Class submarine, took place in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, with the Defence Minister noting that this development further bolsters India's nuclear triad and enhances its nuclear deterrence capabilities.

During his address, Singh also expressed confidence that INS Arighat would "establish strategic balance and peace in the region", adding that it will "play a decisive role in the country's security".

India's nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine programme is a highly classified initiative, with the country's first domestically produced nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, launched in July 2009 and quietly commissioned in 2016. The INS Arihant reportedly became fully operational in 2018.

 

10 things to know about INS Arighat

1) More advanced: The INS Arighat is "significantly more advanced" than its predecessor, INS Arihant, due to the indigenous technological advancements incorporated into it, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

2) Indigenous systems and equipment: INS Arighat's construction involved advanced design and manufacturing technology, extensive research and development, the use of specialised materials, complex engineering, and highly skilled workmanship, according to the MoD. The ministry's statement added that the new submarine "boasts indigenous systems and equipment" that have been "conceptualised, designed, manufactured, and integrated by Indian scientists, industry, and naval personnel".

3) Secret ship-building centre: The commissioning of the nearly 112-metre-long submarine reportedly took place at the highly secretive ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam.

4) Enhanced endurance: Both the INS Arihant and the INS Arighat are powered by 83 MW pressurised light-water nuclear reactors, enabling them to remain submerged for longer durations compared to conventional diesel-electric submarines, which need to surface regularly to charge their batteries.

5) Armed with nuclear-tipped missiles: Like its predecessor, the INS Arighat has four launch tubes in its hump. It can carry up to 12 K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), each with a range of 750 kilometres (km), or four K-4 SLBMs with a range of 3,500 km.

In October 2022, the INS Arihant had successfully launched an SLBM in the Bay of Bengal with "very high accuracy", according to the MoD.

6) Speed and size: The INS Arighat, with a displacement of around 6,000 tonnes, is reportedly capable of achieving a maximum speed of 12-15 knots (22-28 km/h) on the surface and up to 24 knots (44 km/h) when submerged.

7) 'Destroyer of the Enemy': Although more advanced than its predecessor, the INS Arighat belongs to the Arihant class of submarines, with the name of the class derived from the Sanskrit term meaning 'Destroyer of the Enemy'.

8) Key to India's nuclear triad: The INS Arighat will complement the INS Arihant in enhancing India's nuclear triad, which refers to the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air, and sea. Given India's "no-first use" nuclear policy, submarines that can launch ballistic nuclear missiles will play a crucial role in deterrence, given their ability to survive a surprise attack and execute retaliatory strikes.

9) Smaller than foreign counterparts: The United States (US), Russia, United Kingdom (UK), France, and China possess larger nuclear submarines with longer-range missiles. For instance, China operates six Jin-class submarines equipped with JL-3 missiles capable of reaching 10,000 km.

10) India to build more nuclear submarines: The government plans to build additional nuclear submarines, along with conventional vessels, under its long-term capability development strategy. According to reports, this includes five Arihant-class and six nuclear attack submarines, which will be constructed in three phases.

In fact, a Rs 40,000-crore project is currently under consideration with the Cabinet Committee on Security for building two 6,000-tonne 'hunter-killer' nuclear-powered attack submarines, which will be armed with torpedoes and land-attack and anti-ship missiles. However, their construction will reportedly take at least a decade.

(With input from PTI)