INS Arighaat

Context: INS Arighaat, India’s second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, has been officially commissioned into service in Visakhapatnam.

• Strategic Significance: The induction of INS Arighaat enhances India’s nuclear triad capabilities, reinforcing nuclear deterrence and contributing to strategic stability and national security.
• Technical Specifications: While INS Arighaat shares the same reactor and physical dimensions as its predecessor, INS Arihant, it includes advanced technological upgrades. These upgrades feature systems and equipment that have been conceptualized, designed, and manufactured within India.
• Performance Capabilities: The submarine can reach speeds of up to 24 knots when submerged and between 12 to 15 knots on the surface.
• Armament: INS Arighaat is equipped to carry twelve K-15 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), each with a range exceeding 3,500 kilometers.
• Propulsion System: It uses an 83 MW pressurized light-water reactor, allowing it to remain submerged for extended durations.

INS Arihant

• Overview: Commissioned in August 2016, INS Arihant was India’s first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
• Specifications: It has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes and is powered by an 83 MW light-water reactor fueled by enriched uranium. It is armed with K-15 SLBMs, each with a range of 750 kilometers.

Indian Nuclear Triad

• Definition: A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military strategy that consists of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) aboard nuclear-powered submarines (SSBNs), and strategic bombers capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
• India’s Status: India is one of the few countries globally, alongside the United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan, to possess a fully operational nuclear triad.
• Purpose: By distributing nuclear capabilities across diverse platforms, India maintains a Credible Minimum Deterrence (CMD), ensuring robust defense and strategic flexibility.