INS ARIGHAAT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: The country's second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arighat, was inducted into the Indian Navy.

INS Arighaat

• About: It is India’s second indigenously built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, following INS Arihant, commissioned in 2018.
• Features: 

o More advanced: The INS Arighat is "significantly more advanced" than its predecessor, INS Arihant, due to the indigenous technological advancements incorporated into it.

o Indigenous systems and equipment: INS Arighat's construction involved advanced design and manufacturing technology, extensive research and development, the use of specialised materials, complex engineering, and highly skilled workmanship.

o Secret ship-building centre: The commissioning of the nearly 112-metre-long submarine reportedly took place at the highly secretive ship-building centre in Visakhapatnam.

o Enhanced endurance: Both the INS Arihant and the INS Arighat are powered by 83 MW pressurised light-water nuclear reactors, enabling them to remain submerged for longer durations compared to conventional diesel-electric submarines, which need to surface regularly to charge their batteries.

o Armed with nuclear-tipped missiles: Like its predecessor, the INS Arighat has four launch tubes in its hump. It can carry up to 12 K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), each with a range of 750 kilometres (km), or four K-4 SLBMs with a range of 3,500 km.

o Speed and size: The INS Arighat, with a displacement of around 6,000 tonnes, is reportedly capable of achieving a maximum speed of 12-15 knots (22-28 km/h) on the surface and up to 24 knots (44 km/h) when submerged.

o 'Destroyer of the Enemy': Although more advanced than its predecessor, the INS Arighat belongs to the Arihant class of submarines, with the name of the class derived from the Sanskrit term meaning 'Destroyer of the Enemy'.

o Role in Nuclear Triad: It is a critical component of India's nuclear triad, allowing nuclear missile launches from land, air, and sea.

INS Arihant

• About: It is the lead ship of India's Arihantclassof nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

o The 6,000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in the port city of Visakhapatnam.

• Commissioned: It was commissioned in August 2016, and deployed operationally in 2018.