New Delhi: In a major achievement, India conducted successful test-firing today of a ballistic missile from the strategic strike nuclear submarine INS Arihant, adding validity to the country’s nuclear deterrence capabilities.
INS Arihant carried out the successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in the Bay of Bengal, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement here.
“The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy,” it said.
All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated, the Ministry said.
INS Arihant, first of the nuclear-capable submarines built in India, was launched in 2009 on July 26, the Kargil Vijay Diwas anniversary, by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The sea trials began in December 2014 and the vessel was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2016 after being declared fully operational.
India is the 6th country after 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council – US, UK, Russia, France and China – to have built a nuclear-capable submarine.
“The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability,” the statement said.
“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,” the Ministry added.
An SSBN is a submarine capable of firing ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
The SSBNs, designed for stealth and accurate delivery of nuclear missiles, serve as undetectable platforms for launch of missiles of various ranges, including the intercontinental versions.
In May 2019, INS Arihant successfully accomplished its first deterrence patrol, completing the country’s Nuclear Triad by adding maritime capability to land and air-based platforms for launch of nuclear-capable missiles.
Thus, India joined the club of 5 powerful countries – the US, the UK, Russia, France and China, which were already full-fledged nuclear triad powers.
INS Arihant has the capability of remaining underwater for a long time, with the element of surprising an enemy country whose shores it can reach undetected and launch missiles deep inside, which, otherwise, may not be reachable by land-based short-range missiles.
INS Arihant is a 6,000 tonne vessel built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre at Visakhapatnam.
The submarine, powered by an 83 MW pressurised light water reactor, is armed with four K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 3,500 km. It can also be armed with 12 K-15 missiles with a range of 750 km.
The submarine has been developed with significant assistance received from Russia, including training of the first batch of about 100 crew members.
