Our three nuclear submarines will make China and Pakistan bow down to their might and will deceive the enemy in the sea

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the Indian Navy’s second indigenous submarine INS Arighat in Visakhapatnam. This submarine will further strengthen India’s nuclear capability and play an important role in the country’s security. INS Arighat weighs 6,000 tonnes and is an important part of India’s nuclear strike capability. This submarine can be equipped with K-15 and K-4 missiles, which have a range of 750 km and 3,500 km. INS Arighat is India’s second indigenous nuclear submarine after INS Arihant. INS Arihant was inducted into the army in 2018.

India’s nuclear triad will become stronger

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that INS Arighat will further strengthen India’s nuclear triad, enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region and play a decisive role in the country’s security. Nuclear triad means that a country has the capability to launch a nuclear attack from land, air and sea. India, America, Russia, China, France and Britain are the six countries in the world that have a nuclear triad.

India is moving towards becoming a developed nation

Remembering former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who played a key role in making India a nuclear power, Rajnath Singh said that today India is on the path of becoming a developed country. In today’s geopolitical scenario, it is necessary for us to develop rapidly in every sector, especially defence. he/she further said that along with economic prosperity, we also need a strong army. Our government is working in mission mode to ensure that our soldiers have high quality weapons and platforms made on Indian soil.

Specialty of INS Arighat?

INS Arighat is a 6,000-tonne submarine that will now join INS Arihant. The project was started in 2018 to strengthen India’s ‘nuclear triad’ i.e. the ability to launch nuclear attacks from land, air and sea. A source told our partner Times of India that INS Arighat is similar to INS Arihant in size, length and weight, but it can carry more K-15 missiles. The new submarine is much more capable, efficient and stealthy. K-15 is India’s submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with a range of 750 kilometers.

Arighat is also capable of carrying K-4 missiles, which have a range of about 3,500 kilometres. Both INS Arihant and INS Arighat are powered by 83 MW pressurised light water reactors. The nuclear reactors fitted in their hulls ensure that they can remain submerged for months at a stretch, unlike conventional diesel-electric submarines that must surface or snorkel every couple of days to obtain oxygen to recharge their batteries.

In a statement issued on August 29, the Defence Ministry said that the construction of INS Arighat involved the use of advanced design and manufacturing techniques, research and development, use of special materials, complex engineering and highly skilled workmanship. The Defence Ministry further said that it takes pride in being equipped with indigenous systems and devices.

India’s strength will increase further next year

Besides, India’s strength will be enhanced when the third SSBN, a slightly larger 7,000-tonne vessel, is commissioned early next year. Called INS Aridhaman, the vessel is undergoing trials. It is slightly larger than the first two, Arihant and Arighat, and is capable of carrying longer-range nuclear missiles. A fourth SSBN is also being built under the Advanced Technical Voyage (ATV) project to strengthen the weak sea-based part of the country’s nuclear triad. The other two parts – land-based Agni ballistic missiles and fighter jets like the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage-2000 and Rafale that can drop nuclear bombs, are far more robust.

India still has a long way to go

India has a long way to go. Countries like the US, Russia and China have very large SSBNs armed with long-range missiles. For instance, China has six Jin-class SSBNs with 10,000 km range JL-3 missiles, apart from six nuclear-powered submarines (called SSNs, which are meant for conventional warfare). The US, in turn, has 14 Ohio-class SSBNs and 53 SSNs.

TOI had reported earlier this month that the nearly Rs 40,000 crore project to indigenously build two 6,000-tonne SSNs armed with torpedoes, anti-ship and land-attack missiles is now before the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister for final approval. They will take at least a decade to build.

China is the biggest threat to security!

An aggressive China, with its growing military ties with Pakistan in the maritime domain after the border, will remain the biggest security threat for the foreseeable future. With Narendra Modi set to become prime minister for the third consecutive term, experts and officials said the government must take initiatives on multiple fronts to ensure that India’s nuclear deterrent capabilities as well as conventional war-fighting machinery can meet this challenge with an integrated future-ready military within budgetary constraints in the years to come.

India needs a more robust nuclear triad, capable of launching nuclear weapons from land, air and sea. For example, there is a need to induct more ballistic missiles, including the Agni-5, with a range of over 5,000 kilometres.