INS Arighaat, India’s second nuclear ballistic missile submarine, commissioned into service

INS Arighaat, India’s second nuclear ballistic missile submarine, commissioned into service

Subject: Sci

Sec: Defence

Context:

India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the INS Arighaat, was commissioned into service at Visakhapatnam in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. It joins the first such submarine, the INS Arihant, which was commissioned into service in 2016.

 INS Arihant :

• INS Arihant was commissioned into service in August 2016.
• It has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes and is powered by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor with enriched uranium.
• Retains the same reactor and dimensions, but has several technological upgrades.
• The construction of INS Arighaat involved the use of advanced design and manufacturing technology, detailed research and development, the use of special materials, complex engineering, and highly skilled workmanship.
• The completion of the nuclear triad was announced in November 2018.
• The advanced technology project began in the 1980s and its first product, the Arihant vessel, was launched in 2009 by then-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, and eventually commissioned in 2016.
• The third of these submarines, which is at an advanced stage of construction, is set to be larger and more capable than the current two submarines in the same class.

Nuclear deterrence:

• INS Arihant is presently armed with a 750 km range K-15 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) while a 3,500 km range SLBM K-4 is under development, having been tested for the first time in 2020.
• The K4 will become the mainstay of India’s undersea nuclear deterrence, as it gives the stand-off capability to launch nuclear weapons while submerged in Indian waters.