AUKUS DEAL

  • K. Prime Minister is heading to San Diego to finalise the AUKUS deal.
  • It is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. that will provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.
  • It will also to work together in the Indo-Pacific region, where the rise of China is seen as an increasing threat, and develop wider technologies.
  • Their aim is not to arm the new submarines with nuclear weapons.
  • The US and the UK will share technology to construct nuclear powered submarines with Australia.
  • This could make Australia the first nation that does not have a nuclear weapons program but will operate nuclear powered boats.
  • Australia will enter a select club of nations with such submarines. The others include:
  • India, Russia, France and China, besides the UK and the US.

India’s position:

  • India is among the six nations that have nuclear powered submarines.
  • India has had the capacity since it got the Soviet-built K-43 Charlie-class submarines in 1987.
  • It was rechristened INS Chakra.
  • The submarine was decommissioned in 1991.
  • In 2012 India got another Russian submarine on a 10-year lease, called INS Chakra 2.

INS Arihant:

  • The first Indian nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, was commissioned in 2016.
  • A second Arihant-class submarine, INS Arighat, was secretly launched in 2017.
  • The INS Arihant is now classified as a Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine or SSBN, which means it is a nuclear-powered ballistic submarine.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB

About ChinmayaIAS Academy - Current Affairs

Check Also

Forced labour and modern-day slavery

Portable insurance schemes are important, but they are not enough. Workers also need job creation, …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Free Updates to Crack the Exam!
Subscribe to our Newsletter for free daily updates