INS Arighat:
India is now all set to commission its second nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arighat, armed with nuclear missiles for strategic deterrence.
- INS Arighat is India’s second indigenously built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), following India’s first nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, commissioned in 2018.
- It was constructed at the Indian Navy’s Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam.
- It represents a critical component of India’s nuclear triad, enabling the nation to launch nuclear missiles from land, air, and sea.
- It measures 111.6 meters in length, has a beam of 11 meters, a draught of 9.5 meters, and a displacement of 6,000 tonnes.
- It will have one seven-blade propeller powered by a pressurized 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.
- It can carry up to four nuclear-capable K-4 SLBMs (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile) with a range of over 3500 kilometers or twelve conventional warheads K-15 SLBMs with a range of about 750 kilometers.
- The K-15 can also carry a strategic nuclear warhead.
- It also carries torpedoes and mines.
- Additional safety measures include two standby auxiliary engines and a retractable thruster for emergency power and mobility.
