Visakhapatnam: India has taken another step forward in strengthening its nuclear power with the launch of its fourth nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), codenamed S4*. It was launched on October 16 at the Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam.
SSBN Arighaat was handed over to the Navy by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in August this year. Navy officials said that the fourth submarine in this series, INS Aridhaman, will be ready by next year. The S4* submarine will play a strong role in countering enemies in the Indo-Pacific region.
Nuclear submarines are usually referred by their initial code names. In this order, INS chakra was named 'S1'. Arihant as S2, Arighaat as S3 and Aridhaman as S4.
The S4* is expected to have an improved nuclear reactor and is capable of carrying K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), which have a range of 3,500 km, compared to INS Arihant’s 750 km range K-15 SLBM. This nuclear submarine is made with almost 75 per cent indigenous technology.
While INS Arihant, the first generation nuclear submarine in the SSBN series, is capable of mounting K-15 nuclear missiles with a range of 750 km, later upgraded submarines are capable of mounting K-4 missiles.
The S4* contributes to India’s Credible Minimum Deterrence (CMD) policy. India maintains a No First Use (NFU) stance but reserves the right to retaliate massively if struck by nuclear weapons.
Since SSBNs are nuclear-powered, they can remain submerged for extended periods, limited only by the availability of food for the crew, crew fatigue, and the need for periodic maintenance.
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