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With INS Arihant, India's nuclear triad is complete -- the country has the capability of firing nuclear weapons from land, air & sea
India's underwater nuclear deterrent capability has got a shot in the arm with nuclear submarine INS Arihant (Sanskrit for ‘Annihilator’) completing its first deterrence petrol.
INS Arihant is a fully functional underwater ballistic missile delivery platform. Its induction completes India's nuclear triad – now, the country has the capability of firing nuclear weapons from land, air and sea.
All the big five nuclear nations -- the US, Russia, France, China and the UK - are already full-fledged nuclear triad powers.
The ability to fire nuclear missiles from under the sea is particularly important in modern warfare because submarines, unlike fighter aircraft and land-based missile systems, are harder to track and destroy. It can sneak close to the coast of an enemy nation and fire ballistic missiles deep into their territory, which otherwise cannot be reached by landbased short-range ballistic missiles.
The remarkable thing about Arihant is that it can remain at sea for months at a stretch. It would have to return to a dock only to check crew fatigue.
Without mentioning either Pakistan or China, the prime minister said the nuclear-capable submarine is a fitting response to those indulging in nuclear blackmail.
He explained that Arihant has enhanced India's security needs. ‘‘In an era such as ours, a credible nuclear deterrence is the need of the hour. It is an open warning to enemies that they better not indulge in any misadventure," Modi said.
The 6,000-tonne INS Arihant was built at the Ship Building Centre at Visakhapatnam. Launched on July 26, 2009, by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the submarine was commissioned in August 2016 after a series of extensive sea trials. However, its induction was never officially acknowledged. The vessel is powered by an 83 MW pressurised light water reactor with enriched uranium.
PM Modi explained that nuclear arsenal is not a part of an aggressive policy, but is important means for achieving peace and stability. ‘‘Peace is our strength, not weakness,’’ he declared.