Ajay Banerjee

ribune News Service

New Delhi, August 29

India’s second nuclear-powered submarine INS Arighaat was commissioned into the Navy in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Visakhapatnam today. The submarine is capable of carrying nuclear-tipped missiles.

INS Arighaat is an upgraded and deadlier version of its sister, INS Arihant, the first such submarine inducted in 2015.

It is part of India’s nuclear triad — the ability to fire nuclear weapons from land, air and sea. India already has land-based ‘Agni’ series of nuclear-tipped missiles, while another can be fired from air using fighter jets.“India’s nuclear triad will enhance deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region, and play a decisive role in the security of the country,” said Rajnath. INS Arighaat will be under the command and control of the strategic forces command (SFC) that reports to the PM. It can travel at 22-28 kmph on the sea surface and 44 kmph when submerged. INS Arighaat features four launch tubes and carries four nuclear-capable K-4 ‘submarine launched ballistic missiles’ (SLBMs) with range exceeding 3,500 km. It also carries 15 missiles — K-15 — having a range of 750 km. The K-15 can also be mated with nuclear warhead.

Submarines carrying nuclear warheads are classified as ‘ship submersible ballistic nuclear’ (SSBN). INS Arighaat is part of the four-SSBN project. Two more, currently designated as S3 and S4, are under construction. Besides the two SSBNs, India has 16 diesel-electric submarines. But this is much below the 2030 target of 24 envisaged in the Submarine Action Plan cleared by the Cabinet in 1999. China currently has 60 submarines — six SSBNs, six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN) and 48 diesel-electric submarines — as per the US Department of Defence’s annual report.