India to commission its second nuclear submarine today; here's all you need to know about INS Arighat
Indian Navy is set to commission its second nuclear submarine, with the 112-metre-long INS Arihant to be launched out of Visakhapatnam on Thursday by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Top military officials are set to be present at the inaugration of the submarine, with the nuclear-powered machine set to join INS Arihant as part of the country's 'nuclear triad,' strengthening India's ability to fire nukes from the air, land and the sea.
Armed with K-15 missiles — that are nuclear-tipped and have a range of 750 kilometres — the 6,000-tonne submarine became 'fully ready' earlier in August, following extensive trials and upgrades.
“While INS Arighat is of the same size, length and displacement as INS Arihant, she can carry more K-15 missiles. The new boat is much more capable, efficient and stealthy,” a source told Times of India.
While the new boat is an upgrade on the INSA Arihant, there is also common ground between the nuclear submarine siblings, with both powered by 83MW pressurized light-water reactors that ensure the ship can stay submerged for months on end. Conventional diesel-electric submarines are required to surface or “snorkel” every couple of days to get oxygen to recharge their batteries.
India also has two more SSBNs (naval parlance for nuclear-propelled submarines with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles) being built, with a slightly larger 7,000-tonne sub set to be commissioned next year, christened INS Aridhaman, she will carry K-4 missiles that have a range of 3,500 kilometres.
The fourth
