Indian Navy’s Second Nuclear-Powered Missile Submarine ‘INS Arighat’ To Be Commissioned Soon
Indian Navy’s second Indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arighat to be commissioned into service this year.
The INS Arighat was to be commissioned into service in late 2020 but the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic dismissed the plan. Now India will commission its second nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Arighat this year, a report says.
The submarine which had been quietly launched by the then defence minister Nirmala Sitaraman in 2017, and little has been announced about its capabilities and status in public domain is currently in the final stages of sea trials. The submarine is the second in it’s class , the first one being the INS Arihant, currently in service with the Indian Navy.
The boat will have one seven-blade propeller powered by a pressurised water reactor. It can achieve a maximum speed of 12–15 knots (22–28 km/h) when on surface and 24 knots (44 km/h) when submerged.
The submarine has four launch tubes in its hump, just like her predecessor.
INS Arighat, similar to the INS Arihant, can carry upto four nuclear capable k-4 SLBMs (Submarine Launched ballistic missile ) with a range of over 3500 kilometers or twelve conventional warhead k-15 SLBMs with a range of about 750 kilometers. The k-15 can also carry a strategic nuclear warhead. The submarines also carry torpedoes and mines.
A total of 4 submarines are planned in the class, the first to being INS Arihant and INS Arighat with a total displacement 6000 tonnes. The remaining two are yet to be named and would be bigger having 7000 tonnes (1000 tonnes more than Arihant class submarines) with enhanced capability of carrying 12-15 long range ballistic missiles.
The remaining two submarines code name S4 and S4-star will move into the SBC drydock (Ship Building Centre) vacated by the two Arihant class submarines and will be launched by 2022.
India is also working on SSN or Nuclear-powered submarines which are armed with missiles with conventional warheads. The plan is to build at least six SSN with a displacement of 6000 tonnes.
India is also developing a new series of SSBNs which will be much larger and better armed than the arihant class SSBN. Currently identified as S-5, this type will have a displacement of 13500 tomnnes and will be capable of carrying 12 long range nuclear tipped ballistic missile.
Source: The EurAsian Times
