BALASORE: India’s first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant is all set to be inducted in the armed forces.
The submersible ballistic nuclear submarine is expected to complete its sea trials soon after next launch of a ballistic missile in the Bay of Bengal scheduled next month. Though no particular date has been fixed, the mission is on schedule, according to Defence sources.
Beginning its sea trials in October last year, the Arihant had fired a ballistic missile successfully on November 25. “Accompanied by a submarine rescue ship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet RFS Epron, the submarine has undergone extensive deep sea diving exercises and missile tests secretly in the last three months. Its performance was outstanding. It will be commissioned in the Navy very soon,” the sources said.
The 111 metre long, 15 metre tall and 11 metre broad INS Arihant has four vertical launch tubes which are capable of carrying 6 torpedoes of 533 mm and 12 B-05 (K-15) missiles having a strike range of 750 km or 4 K-4 missiles of 3,500 km range. Having a 100-member crew, the advanced technology vessel (ATV) is powered by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor with enriched uranium fuel.
There is also provision to launch non-nuclear tipped Brahmos supersonic cruise missile as well as the 1,000-km Nirbhay which has loitering capability and can be configured for both nuclear and non-nuclear warheads.
So far, India has only 13 conventional submarines, including four Shishumar class from Germany and nine Sindhughosh class from Russia that are diesel-electric powered besides one nuclear-powered Akula class submarine INS Chakra taken on a 10-year lease from Russia.
INS Arihant is first indigenously developed nuke-powered submarine made to go to greater depths so that it can hide undetected under the thermoclines. India is one of six countries in the world with the ability to design, build, and operate its own nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuke-tipped weapons. The US, the UK, France, Russia and China now have nuclear-armed submarines in operation.
Describing the requirement of submarines, a defence scientist said though India adopts a no-first-use (NFU) policy on nuclear arms, its enemies like Pakistan don’t subscribe to a no-first-use policy and are pursuing very dangerous methods of deploying nukes at sea. “But our deployment of armed submarines is aimed at discouraging enemies from attacking besides creating a shield for ourselves,” he said.
A DRDO official said there should not be any delay in making Arihant operational. As the conventional subs are aging, India needs to keep its own submarines ready. Four more Arihant class nuke-powered submarines are being built under the country’s secret submarine project.