India launches nuclear submarine
The Arihant is a copy of the Russian Charlie class nuclear submarine.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the country’s first locally built nuclear-powered submarine – the 6,000 tonne Arihant – this past Sunday (July 26).
“Today, we join a select group of five nations who possess the capability to build a nuclear-powered submarine,” Singh declared in his speech at the naval base of Visakhapatnam on the south-east coast. Until now, only the US, Russia, France, Britain and China had the capability to build nuclear submarines.
It was built entirely in India with Russian assistance and a second one is due to be constructed shortly. Although he billed the submarine as an outcome of a public-private partnership, the Indian leader did mention Russia in his address. “I would also like to express our appreciation to our Russian friends for their consistent and invaluable cooperation, which symbolizes the close strategic partnership that we enjoy with Russia,” Singh remarked. Nonetheless, he called for leveraging the strengths of India’s private industry for defense goals.
Based on the design of a Charlie-1 submarine which India leased from the former Soviet Union between 1987-’91, the Arihant is currently housed in a completely-enclosed dry-dock called the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam. The launch, where the long, narrow dry dock was flooded with water from the harbour and the submarine floated out, is only the first step.
The Arihant is to be towed out of the SBC into an enclosed pier for its harbour trials. The trials will prove its nuclear power plant and auxiliary systems before it heads out into the Bay of Bengal for sea trials and weapon trials of the 12 K-15 ballistic missiles it is armed with. It will take the submarine between two and three years before full commissioning.
In the meantime, the navy will get its first nuclear submarine, the Chakra, an Akula-2 class nuclear powered attack submarine currently undergoing sea trials in the Pacific Ocean off Vladivostok. The Chakra is to be commissioned later this year before sailing to Visakhapatnam. The submarine (known as the Nerpa in Russian service) is being acquired on a ten-year lease from Russia under an agreement signed in January 2004. India paid $ 650 million for the completion and lease of the submarine which is being acquired to rapidly train crews to man the fleet of three nuclear submarines which are to be inducted into the Indian Navy by 2015.
Launching the INS Arihant, Mr Singh said India had no aggressive designs on anyone. But the sea was becoming increasingly relevant to India’s security concerns, he added. “We do not have any aggressive designs, nor do we seek to threaten anyone. We seek an external environment in our region and beyond that is conducive to our peaceful development and the protection of our value systems. It is incumbent upon us to take all measures necessary to safeguard our country and to keep pace with technological advancements worldwide,” ” Singh said.
It will undergo trials over the next few years before being deployed and will be able to launch missiles at targets 700km (437 miles) away. Until now India has been able to launch ballistic missiles only from the air and from land. Nuclear submarines will add a third dimension to its defence capability. When it is eventually deployed, the top-secret Arihant will be able to carry 100 sailors on board. It will be able to stay under water for long periods and thereby increase its chances of remaining undetected.
The launching of the Arihant is a clear sign that India is looking to blunt the threat from China which has a major naval presence in the region.
Comments
Leave a Reply
