In order to complete its nuclear triad, the Arihant-class and its successor submarines have to deploy missiles of ranges exceeding 7000km to enable them to strike targets within China – should the need arise – from well within Indian waters and from either coast of the Indian mainland.
In 2009, the INS Arihant – the lead vessel of a class of at least three ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) was launched. The vessel is still undergoing evaluation and sea trials, although reports had emerged of its commissioning in August 2016, an ambitious attempt to give India an operational and survivable nuclear triad. Many Indian nuclear theorists and strategists have held that a force of SSBNs is essential for India to have a fully survivable nuclear deterrent and the development of the INS Arihant has been welcomed as a major step forward in the development of the aforesaid triad.
With a displacement of 6000 tonnes, a length of 111 metres and powered by an 83 MW pressurised water reactor, the INS Arihant has a maximum speed of some 24 knots and has been tested to a depth of some 350 metres. The submarine, though there was significant input from Russia, is the first nuclear powered vessel to be built in India and represents a remarkable technical achievement for both India’s defence research and development agencies as well as its ship-building industry. Its armament consists of 533mm torpedoes and, as befits its task as a ballistic missile submarine, between four and twelve submarine-launched ballistic missiles fitted with nuclear warheads with the number of missiles being dependent on the type carried.
However, in January 2018 it was reported that the INS Arihant was out of commission for 10 months following an incident caused by sea-water ingress following a hatch being left open, leading to fears of reactor contamination. Following checks, the vessel has returned to service. On the face of it, while one may not dispute the fact that the vessel was out of commission for 10 months, the cause of its misfortune is somewhat dubious as stated to date.
この記事は Geopolitics の February 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Geopolitics の February 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
India's space economy set to soar
India's burgeoning space economy could see a substantial increase in its global share by 2040. At present, India's space sector contributes a modest $8 billion to the overall cake. However, the government has set its sights on an ambitious target, aiming for a five-fold surge in India's share of the global space economy.
CRITICAL NEED TO BOOST CONVENTIONAL SUBMARINE FLEET
VENUGOPAL MENON explains why India cannot afford to view the critical deficiency in Submarine force levels lightly
BEEFING UP OUR SUBMARINE FLEET
In the last week of March, the Indian Navy displayed its submarine prowess. Eight of its submarines operated together in the Western Indian Ocean Region, a first in three decades, and one of its Scorpene submarines sailed to the Andaman Nicobar Islands, overlooking the Malacca Strait, a critical choke point for China. But how is the comparison with China? RITU SHARMA reports
ENHANCING CRUISE MISSILE CAPABILITY
India’s cruise missile capability has largely evolved as a credible conventional level deterrence since the turn of the new millennium. But much more needs to be done, writes AMARTYA SINHA
BOOSTING DEFENCE EXPORTS
Earlier, India was known to be an arms importer. But today, the country has come out of its comfort zone and found a place in the list of top-25 arms exporter nations argues AMARTYA SINHA
ENHANCING INDIA'S AIRBORNE SURVEILLANCE CAPABILITIES
Project NETRA represents a proactive initiative by ISRO to safeguard India's interests in space by mitigating the risks posed by space debris and other hazards, says GIRISH LINGANNA
THE HIMALAYAN TRIANGLE: WHY INDIA KEEPS BHUTAN SAFE FROM CHINA
India, given its special relationship with Bhutan, has been very wary about the possibility of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the signing of a boundary agreement between Bhutan and China, writes SIMRAN SODHI
TROOST, DESAI AND SANCTIONS
The Western sanctions against companies and individuals doing business with Russia have produced a complex set of reactions with lobbyists and shell companies working overtime to beat the rap. A GEOPOLITICS Bureau report
THE KOREA-GATE
India attaches great importance to “three principles of inclusiveness, trust and reciprocity’” for creating the basis for working more closely with like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific such as the Republic of Korea (ROK), better known as South Korea for “a free, peaceful and prosperous region”. Prakash Nanda dissects the relationship and the way ahead
Pushpak RLV-TD successfully lands autonomously
ISRO achieved another significant milestone in reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology with the successful landing of Pushpak (RLV-TD), the winged vehicle, autonomously on the runway.
