India is set to commission its second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in the next few months, as reported by Janes. The vessel, named INS Arighat, will be formally inducted into service by the end of 2024, almost seven years after its initial launch.
INS Arighat was launched in Visakhapatnam in November 2017, and it measures 111.6 meters in length, 11 meters in beam, 9.5 meters in draught, and has a displacement of 6,000 tonnes.
Arighat is the second of three SSBNs launched by India, with the first-of-class INS Arihant being launched in July 2009 and commissioned in August 2016, and a third vessel, which has not been named yet, was launched in November 2021.
Constructed at the Indian Navy’s Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Vishakhapatnam, Arighat is powered by an 82.5 MW pressurized light water reactor (LWR) developed with Russian assistance. The submarine can achieve a top speed of 24 knots and a surfaced speed of 10 knots.
The submarine is armed with 12 K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), developed by India’s state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). These SLBMs are carried in four large vertical launch system (VLS) tubes on the submarine. The Sagarika missile is a two-stage, solid-propellant missile with a range of more than 700 km.
Arighat is built with Russian steel equivalent to US HY-80 grade and is divided into seven compartments, with main divisions for the propulsion and combat management systems, platform management center, and the torpedo room.
Additionally, Arighat features a double hull, ballast tanks, two standby auxiliary engines, and a retractable thruster for emergency power and mobility.