Why INS Aridhaman Is A Big Leap For India’s Underwater Nuclear Arsenal? Nation’s Third Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarine Enters Final Commissioning Phase, All You Need To Know

India’s nuclear deterrence capability is set to strengthen significantly as the country’s third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridhaman, is scheduled to be commissioned between April and May this year.

The submarine, constructed by private-sector major L&T at the highly secure Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam, has undergone months of sea trials and, once commissioned, will join its two sister vessels under the Strategic Forces Command, India’s tri-services nuclear deterrence authority.

This would further strengthen its nuclear triad, or ability to launch strategic weapons from land, air and sea.

Aridhaman is set to become the Navy’s third Arihant-class submarine and will function as a stealthy platform for launching nuclear-armed missiles.

“Indigenous nuclear ballistic submarine INS Aridhaman would be commissioned very soon,” CNS Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said during a press conference ahead of the Navy day celebrations.

Why INS Aridhaman matters?

INS Aridhaman is an upgraded Arihant-class submarine.

Designed for stealth, slower underwater movement, and greater secrecy at depth compared to conventional attack submarines, the INS Aridhaman will be equipped with 750-km range K-15 missiles and an undisclosed number of K-4 long-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), which have a range exceeding 3,000 km.

SSBNs rely on secrecy and surprise. Operating silently at great depths, their nuclear reactors grant them the endurance to remain submerged for extended periods, avoiding the need to surface and expose their location. As a result, their whereabouts remain largely unknown until the moment they launch their missiles.

Apart from INS Aridaman, the Indian Navy also has INS Arighaat, and INS Arahant, which will further strengthen India’s nuclear triad, enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance & peace in the region, and play a decisive role in the security of the country.

The United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China are the only other nations capable of launching nuclear warheads from submarines.

India’s first indigenous SSBN, the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant, was commissioned in August 2016 and it successfully completed its first deterrence patrol in 2018

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