Thursday, February 9, 2012

Sea trials of first indigenous nuke submarine soon


New Delhi, December 2, 2011: India will soon complete its nuclear triad, the capability of launching ballistic weapons from land, air and sea; as its first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant will be ready for operational deployment by the end of 2012 after a series of sea trials.

Literally meaning the ‘Destroyer of Enemies’, Arihant has been developed in the country under the project codenamed Advanced Technology Vessel. The nuclear-propelled strategic submarine will become fully operational nearly three decades after the project was initiated when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister in 1970s.

“I had said that we will do so (commissioning of INS Arihant) in 2012 and by and large we are on track. A firm date can be given only when we have the sea trials which will happen from some months from now,” Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said at an annual press conference here ahead of the Navy Day on December 4.

As India has a policy of “no first use” of nuclear weapons, a robust and survivable retaliatory strike capability is dependent on this nuclear-powered submarine. In this wake, Arihant is a shot in the arm for India’s nuclear triad. With its ability to remain submerged in the waters for infinite time, Arihant with its stealth can remain undetected by the army and can fire its nuclear-tipped missiles from under the sea.

With this India has become the sixth country after the US, Russia, China, France and Britain to possess a nuclear-powered submarine. Arihant is the first in the series of the three nuclear submarines; India is building with the help of Russia. Arihant is a milestone as the biggest navy in Asia that of China is known to have 8-10 nuclear-powered submarines and 50-60 diesel submarines.

The navy chief said before the operational deployment the vessel will require certain nuclear-safety certifications.

“Arihant will require a nuclear regulatory authority certification. BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) would have a prominent role in this. The submarine will be deployed once this ends,” he said.

India has the land-based Agni ballistic missiles, apart from IAF fighter jets capable of delivering tactical nukes. The premier military research body, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been working on the submarine-launched missile-Sagarika with a range of 700 km.

The construction of 6,000 tonne, 110 metre long and 11- metre wide submarine has been done by Ship Building Centre at Visakhapatnam. The submarine will have a crew of about 100 sailors and will be armed with torpedoes and 12 nuclear missiles.

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