India set to commission its 2nd N-powered submarine

India is all set to commission its second nuclear -powered submarine, armed with nuclear missiles for strategic deterrence, while the project to build two nuclear-powered attack submarines with conventional weapons is also headed for final approval amid China’s fast-expanding naval footprint in the IOR.
The 6,000-tonne INS Arighat, constructed at Vizag shipbuilding centre (SBC), is “fully ready” for formal commissioning after extensive trials that saw some technical issues being ironed out with upgrades over an extended period.
“The SSBN (naval parlance for nuclear-propelled submarines with nuclear tipped ballistic missiles) will be commissioned within a month or two. She will then join her sister INS Arihant, which became fully operational in 2018,” a source said.
Parallelly, on the conventional (non-nuclear) warfare front, the around £4 bn project to indigenously construct two nuclear-powered submarines, armed with torpedoes, anti-ship and land-attack missiles, is now before the PM-led cabinet committee on security for the final nod after repeated iterations and inter-ministerial consultations. The initial case was for six such 6,000-tonne ‘hunter-killer’ submarines (called SSNs) under ‘Project-77’ at the SBC. But it was whittled down and now stands at two vessels. It will take a decade to build the first two SSNs, which will be around 95% indigenous, while the next four will be approved at a later stage, the source said.
As per long-standing approved plans, India requires at least 18 diesel-electric submarines, four SSBNs and six SSNs to tackle the twin threat from China and Pakistan, which is also turning collusive in the maritime domain after the land borders.
The country, however, currently has only one SSBN in INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, and 16 diesel-electric submarines. Moreover, the conventional underwater combat fleet consists of six old Russian Kilo-class and four German HDW submarines, apart from six French-origin Scorpenes.
In contrast, China already has around 60 submarines, and is fast building more. Its fleet currently includes six Jin-class SSBNs, armed with JL-3 missiles, and six SSNs.