India commissions its second Arihant class SSBN – INS Arighat
The Indian Navy has commissioned its second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine – INS Arighat. Arighat is the second submarine of the 6,000-tonne Arihant class submarines. India started its Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project in the 1990s to build nuclear-powered submarines. The first submarine under the ATV project – INS Arihant – was officially commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 2016.
The keel for Arighat was laid in late 2010 at SBC Visakhapatnam, it was then launched in November 2017 in an unpublicised event. After being fitted out, it started its harbour trials in late 2022. It has an option to house four K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles in its four missile tubes, or twelve K-15 SLBMs with three in each missile tube. The K-15 features a range of over 750km with a 1,000kg warhead while the larger K-4 features a range of over 3,500km with a 2,500kg warhead.
Two more Arihant class submarines are under construction at SBC Visakhapatnam dubbed S4 and S4*. The later two submarines feature a module supporting four additional missile tubes, doubling the capacity to eight K-4 or 24 K-15 SLBMs. The S4 submarines also feature a new nuclear- reactor and an improved version of Arihant’s submarine combat management system. S4 was launched in November 2021 at SBC Visakhapatnam in an unpublicised event and is expected to join the fleet in the coming years. S4* is currently in the initial stage of construction and is expected to be launched in a few years followed by commissioning later this decade or in the early 2030s.
More Nuclear Powered Submarines
The local media has reported about the possibility of a fifth Arihant class submarine built similarly to S4*. A fifth submarine would allow India to keep its nuclear submarine line at Visakhapatnam running continuously without any loss of skill or experience.
India also plans to build six nuclear-powered attack submarines in three blocks of two each. The construction of each block will be separated by a few years to test and amend the deficiencies found in previous blocks, allowing for successive improvements in each block. The project including the design, development, and manufacturing of six submarines is expected to cost approximately 1.2 lakh crore INR ($14.5 billion).
India is expanding its capacity to build nuclear submarines with the construction of new and larger facilities at Visakhapatnam. The new facility will allow for the concurrent construction of larger submarines. This is a vital capability as India plans to build nuclear-powered attack submarines with concurrent construction of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
The next generation of Indian SSBNs is under development with the capability to launch longer-ranged K-5 and K-6 series of missiles, housing multiple independent re-entry vehicles (MIRV). The submarines will displace over 12,000 tonnes with the capability to carry 12-16 long-range SLBMs.