Amid tension with China, India is making big preparations, it is going to add its third nuclear submarine to its Navy within 6 months

New Delhi : India is ready to further strengthen its maritime power. For this, it will induct its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) into the Navy in the next six months. This step is being taken amid the ongoing military tension with China. Earlier on Thursday, the second SSBN, INS Arighat, was formally inducted into the Strategic Force Command in Visakhapatnam. The third SSBN will be commissioned as INS Aridhaman early next year. Currently this nuclear submarine is undergoing various trials. INS Aridhaman is larger than INS Arihant and INS Arighat. This is the reason why it is capable of carrying longer range nuclear missiles.

Navy’s strength increased with the entry of INS Arighat

To enhance the capability of the Indian Navy, INS Arighat was inducted into the Strategic Force Command a day earlier. This is India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. It weighs 6,000 tonnes. Importantly, INS Arighat is also capable of carrying K-4 missiles, which have a range of more than 3,000 kilometres. INS Arihant, which is already in service, has only K-15 missiles with a range of 750 kilometres. INS Arighat was commissioned at a secret location in Visakhapatnam. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS General Anil Chauhan, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and DRDO chief Sameer Kamat were present on the occasion.

The country gets its second nuclear missile submarine INS Arighat, know how much India’s power will increase

What did Rajnath Singh say after referring to former PM Vajpayee?

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on this occasion that the arrival of INS Arighat will further strengthen India’s nuclear triad. It will enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region and will play a decisive role in the country’s security. On this occasion, Rajnath Singh recalled the Pokhran-II test in 1998. At that time, he/she mentioned the “political will” of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to bring India at par with nuclear weapon-rich countries. he/she said that in today’s geopolitical scenario, it is necessary for us to develop rapidly in every field including defence. Along with economic prosperity, we also need a strong army. Our government is working in mission mode to ensure that our soldiers have good quality weapons and platforms made on Indian soil.

After INS Arihant, now INS Arighat

INS Arighat has been equipped with many indigenous technologies that make it much more advanced than its predecessor INS Arihant. INS Arihant was fully commissioned in 2018. An official said that together these two will enhance India’s ability to deter potential enemies at sea and protect its national interests. INS Arighat may be similar in size and shape to INS Arihant, but it is a much more capable version with a lot of internal engineering upgrades.

Navy will soon get its third nuclear powered submarine

The third SSBN, which will be commissioned as INS Aridhaman early next year, is slightly larger than the earlier two SSBNs, INS Arihant and INS Arighat. It is capable of carrying longer-range nuclear missiles. INS Arighat is also capable of carrying some K-4 missiles, which have a range of over 3,000 km, while its earlier version INS Arihant is armed with K-15 missiles with a range of only 750 km, sources said.

After INS Aridhaman, preparations are also being made for the fourth SSBN

INS Aridhaman and the fourth SSBN under construction will be even more powerful. With a weight of 7,000 tonnes and a length of 125 metres, they will be able to carry a large number of K-4 missiles. These nuclear-powered submarines are being built under the Advanced Technology Vessel Project initiated in the 1990s. It includes four submarines built at a cost of over Rs 90,000 crore. However, these numbers are less than half the size of SSBNs of countries like the US, China and Russia.