By Ajai Shukla
Visakhapatnam, August 29, 2024
The Indian Navy’s second nuclear powered and armed submarine, the INS Arighaat, was commissioned on Thursday at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Like its predecessor, INS Arihant, the Arighaat is technically referred to as a “sub surface, ballistic missile carrying, nuclear-propelled” submarine, or SSBN.
The nuclear warheads the SSBN carries allows it to stealthily travel long distances at high speeds. Meanwhile the nuclear-tipped missiles it carries allows the Arighaat to function as the underwater leg of the nuclear triad.
While the ground-based Agni-series ballistic missiles and the submarine delivered cruise missiles, the submarine-launched INA Arihant and Arighaat constitute the third leg of the nuclear triad.
Most countries that operate nuclear submarines, such as France, Russia, the UK and the US, prefer to have an all-nuclear fleet, since running two different submarine types is prohibitively expensive. However, France and Russia build conventional submarines for export.
However, India’s hydrological constraints require its navy to operate both conventional and nuclear submarines. India needs small, conventionally powered submarines for operations in waters like the Arabian Sea, where the seabed slopes very gently to the ocean floor.
So gentle is the gradient that, 40 nautical miles off Karachi, the seabed is just 40 metres deep – offering little maneuver opportunity to large, 2,000-3,000 tonne SSNs.
The Aarighaat’s underwater-launched K-15 missiles (submarine launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs) have a range of about 750 kilometres, putting at risk the enemy’s coastal cities or infrastructure. However, India’s future SSBNs will be armed with the deadlier K-4 missiles, which have ranges of 3,000 kilometres.
The technological advancements undertaken indigenously on this submarine make it significantly more advanced than its predecessor, INS Arihant, stated the MoD.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the construction of INS Arighaat involved the use of advanced design and manufacturing technology, detailed research & development (R&D), utilisation of special materials, complex engineering and highly skilled workmanship.
Because of its high indigenous content, it incorporates indigenous systems and equipment that were conceptualised, designed, manufactured & integrated by Indian scientists, workmen and naval personnel. A large number of Indian private sector companies, such as Larsen and Toubro have played significant roles in INS Arighaat’s construction.
In his address at the commissioning ceremony in Visakhapatnam, Rajnath Singh exuded confidence that INS Arighaat would further strengthen India’s nuclear triad. He said it would enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region, and play a decisive role in the security of the country.”
The rise of China is seeing the growing presence of SSBNs and even nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines (SSN) in the Indo-Pacific. For the first time in over four decades, a US SSBN visited South Korea (ROK) this year. There was also the first landing since 1988 of a US nuclear-capable B-52 on the Peninsula.
Rajnath Singh commended the Indian Navy, DRDO and the private industry for their efforts in achieving this capability. He termed this self-reliance as the foundation of self power. He appreciated the fact that the country’s industrial sector, especially MSMEs, have received a huge boost through this project, and more employment opportunities have been created.
Rajnath paid tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s political will which he said put India at par with other nuclear weapon states.
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