INS ARIHANT

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Context: India successfully tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile from its solitary nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant, and promptly declared that having an 'assured retaliatory capability’ was in tune with the country’s `credible minimum deterrence’ against the first-use of nuclear weapons by an adversary.

 

Details:

About the test:

• A brief statement by the defence ministrydid not identify the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) tested from the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant, which became fully operational in 2018
• SLBM tested was the B-O5 or K-15 missile with a strike range of 750-km.
• INS Arihant is armed with the short-range K-15 missiles. Developmental trials of the K-4 SLBM (with a 3,500-km range) have been completed but it is yet to be fully inducted.
• This is the first time the launch of an SLBM from INS Arihant has been announced by the government.

Significance:

• The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN (naval parlance for nuclear-propelled submarines armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles) programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability.
• A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘credible minimum deterrence‘ that underpins its ‘no-first use’ commitment.

 

Nuclear Triad:

• INS Arihant does give some teeth to the weakest leg of India’s existing nuclear triad – the capability to fire nukes from land, air and sea – but much larger SSBNs that can carry longer range missiles are required to make it more credible.
• The other two legs of the triad are, of course, much more robust with the induction of the land-based Agni series of ballistic missiles as well as fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs, Mirage-2000s and Rafales that are capable of dropping nuclear gravity bombs.
• Under the Rs 90,000 crore top-secret advanced technology vessel (ATV) project, India is currently building three more SSBNs to follow INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurized light-water reactor at its core.
• The second such submarine, INS Arighat, is slated to become fully operational next year after some delay. The vessel will be followed by two 7,000-tonne SSBNs, currently called S-4 and S-4*, under the ATV project. There is also the plan to build 13,500-tonne SSBNs with much more powerful 190 MW reactors.
• Concurrently, the K-4 SLBM is to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000 to 6,000-km class. All this will decidedly narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have much larger SSBNs with over 5,000-km range missiles.
• Much more capable SSBNs will give India’s deterrence posture greater credibility because they are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes after a surprise first-strike by an adversary.

 

About Arihant:

• INS Arihant, a 6,000-tonne submarine is the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project.
• INS Arihant is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core with enriched uranium fuel.
• It’s India’s first indigenously built nuclear submarine.
• It is a ‘Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear Submarine’ (SSBN). SSBN's are those class of submarines which can go deep beneath the ocean making them virtually undetectable for months, they also carry nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
• It is capable of carrying ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
• It is presently armed with the K-15 Sagarika missiles with a range of 750 km.
• Later, it will also be armed with K-4 missiles, being developed by the DRDO, which are capable of striking targets at a distance of up to 3,500 km. These 'K' series of missiles are named after former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

 

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1867778