July 26 2009 was a special day for the Country not just because its the 10th Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas but also a Historic day which Heralded the country coming out of Ages. It was the day which hinted India`s emerging World power status and the country`s navy becoming a Blue Water Navy.
India's New ARIHANT Nuclear Submarine
India successfully launched its first Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
INS ARIHANT. The Arihant class submarines is designed and constructed as a part of the Indian Navy`s Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project.
ATV is in line with India’s nuclear doctrine which calls for its nuclear forces to be effective, enduring, diverse, flexible and responsive to the requirements in accordance with the concept of credible minimum deterrence. The doctrine calls for high survivability against surprise attacks and for a rapid punitive response. A nuclear submarine that can remain submerged almost indefinitely and cannot be detected underwater, therefore, meets all these criteria and offers an almost invulnerable launch platform for nuclear weapons. For a country like India with a no-first use policy, it is vital because it prevents a potential adversary from launching a crippling first strike that can knock out all nuclear weapons. It also allows India to inflict considerable damage to the aggressor.
India's efforts to embark upon an indigenous nuclear submarine project hark back to 1971, a time when the a tast force from the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, including the USS Enterprise nuclear-powered aircraft carrier projected unignorable power from the Bay of Bengal as India continued to deliver liberty to Bangladesh. Strategically, this was a profoundly disturbing period for the government and military planners -- it was an open admission then, as it is now, that had the American not quietly withdrawn from the theatre, India would have had no reasonable way to deal with them. It was after this that the terse exchange of letters between Indira Gandhi and President Nixon ensued. Analyst Dr. Eric H. Arnett of SIPRI wrote, "The history and implications of the nuclear attack submarine for Indian maritime strategy suggest that the US presence in the Indian Ocean was a strong motivation for the nuclear attack submarine program".
American Charlie -II Class Submarine
The Actual work on the project ATV started on 1985 to develop an indigenously constructed nuclear-powered submarine, one that was possibly based on elements of the Soviet Charlie II-class(670A Skat series) K-43 design which the Country leased and operated for 2year from 89 to 91, detailed drawings of which are said to have been obtained from the Soviet Union in 1989.
The most important part of the SSBN is the nuclear powerplant. Generally a Nuclear power reactor will be of the size of a football field which has to miniaturised to the size of a Truck. Very little information is available concerning the powerplant. Certainly the time spent on the leased Soviet nuclear submarine provided valuable design information. Two different type of reactors would have also been considered. The water-cooled water-moderated reactor (PWR) was designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and is believed based on Soviet design information obtained form the leased submarine. The pressurized water-cooled reactor is the far better choice and appears to be the reactor chosen for the nuclear submarine. Fitting a nuclear powerplant into a submarine hull is also a difficult task because reactor itself constitutes the 60% of the total weight of an SSBN, sources indicates a possible Russian assistance in designing and fitting the reactor into the sub.
A nuke sub is a dud if it cannot fire a respectable missile from it.
The ATV is reportedly equipped with 4 launch tubes of 2.4m diameter each. Initially, each missile tube will likely accommodate 3 0.74m diameter K-15 Sagarika missile. Later the tubes could accommodate the 2.0m diameter Agni IIISL (The submarine launched version of the Agni V / Agni 3+) missiles with MIRV capability.The Sagarika's limited range of 700km makes it inadequate even as a deterrent against Pakistan, let alone China. Once Arihant's nuclear propulsion is proven the stress will shift to weapon testing.
Indian Agni Series of Missiles
American Ohio Class Submarine An Artist's Impression
A typical US SSBN (the Ohio class) submarine carries 24 Trident D5 SLBM missiles with a striking range of 8000KM with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles(upto 10), which could mean as many as 240 warheads/Bombs. When such a submarine goes out to the sea, that many missiles & Bombs are removed from the Country. The US has 18 Ohio-class submarine in service currently(which means 24*10*18=4320 Nuclear Bombs).
General characteristics of ATV / INS ARIHANT.
Class and type: Arihant Class
Type: SSBN
Displacement: 5,500 – 6,500 tons (Est.)
Length: 104m (341.2ft) (Est.)
Beam: 15m (49.2ft) (Est.)
Draft: 9m (29.5ft) (Est.)
Propulsion: PWR using 40% enriched uranium fuel (80MW); one turbine (47,000hp/70MW); one shaft; one 7-bladed, high-skew propeller. (Est.)
Speed: 12-15 (surfaced) 30-34 (submerged). (Est.)
Range: unlimited except by food supplies
Test depth: 300 m (984.2ft). (Est.)
Complement: 100
Sensors and
processing systems: USHUS Sonar
Armament: Torpedoes: 6 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes
Total capacity (torpedoes, and missiles): 30 weapons (est)[1]
SLBM - 12 launch tubes (each with 2.4 meter diameter) [2]
12 x K15 SLBM (3 in each launch tube)
4 x Agni III (SLBM)(Under development)
Torpedoes and Mines
India's New ARIHANT Nuclear SubmarineIndia successfully launched its first Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
INS ARIHANT. The Arihant class submarines is designed and constructed as a part of the Indian Navy`s Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project.
ATV is in line with India’s nuclear doctrine which calls for its nuclear forces to be effective, enduring, diverse, flexible and responsive to the requirements in accordance with the concept of credible minimum deterrence. The doctrine calls for high survivability against surprise attacks and for a rapid punitive response. A nuclear submarine that can remain submerged almost indefinitely and cannot be detected underwater, therefore, meets all these criteria and offers an almost invulnerable launch platform for nuclear weapons. For a country like India with a no-first use policy, it is vital because it prevents a potential adversary from launching a crippling first strike that can knock out all nuclear weapons. It also allows India to inflict considerable damage to the aggressor.
India's efforts to embark upon an indigenous nuclear submarine project hark back to 1971, a time when the a tast force from the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, including the USS Enterprise nuclear-powered aircraft carrier projected unignorable power from the Bay of Bengal as India continued to deliver liberty to Bangladesh. Strategically, this was a profoundly disturbing period for the government and military planners -- it was an open admission then, as it is now, that had the American not quietly withdrawn from the theatre, India would have had no reasonable way to deal with them. It was after this that the terse exchange of letters between Indira Gandhi and President Nixon ensued. Analyst Dr. Eric H. Arnett of SIPRI wrote, "The history and implications of the nuclear attack submarine for Indian maritime strategy suggest that the US presence in the Indian Ocean was a strong motivation for the nuclear attack submarine program".
American Charlie -II Class SubmarineThe Actual work on the project ATV started on 1985 to develop an indigenously constructed nuclear-powered submarine, one that was possibly based on elements of the Soviet Charlie II-class(670A Skat series) K-43 design which the Country leased and operated for 2year from 89 to 91, detailed drawings of which are said to have been obtained from the Soviet Union in 1989.
The most important part of the SSBN is the nuclear powerplant. Generally a Nuclear power reactor will be of the size of a football field which has to miniaturised to the size of a Truck. Very little information is available concerning the powerplant. Certainly the time spent on the leased Soviet nuclear submarine provided valuable design information. Two different type of reactors would have also been considered. The water-cooled water-moderated reactor (PWR) was designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) and is believed based on Soviet design information obtained form the leased submarine. The pressurized water-cooled reactor is the far better choice and appears to be the reactor chosen for the nuclear submarine. Fitting a nuclear powerplant into a submarine hull is also a difficult task because reactor itself constitutes the 60% of the total weight of an SSBN, sources indicates a possible Russian assistance in designing and fitting the reactor into the sub.
A nuke sub is a dud if it cannot fire a respectable missile from it.
The ATV is reportedly equipped with 4 launch tubes of 2.4m diameter each. Initially, each missile tube will likely accommodate 3 0.74m diameter K-15 Sagarika missile. Later the tubes could accommodate the 2.0m diameter Agni IIISL (The submarine launched version of the Agni V / Agni 3+) missiles with MIRV capability.The Sagarika's limited range of 700km makes it inadequate even as a deterrent against Pakistan, let alone China. Once Arihant's nuclear propulsion is proven the stress will shift to weapon testing.
Indian Agni Series of MissilesFollowup Arihant class subs will represent a credible nuclear deterrent once they are fielded with at least 12 Agni IIISL missiles capable of striking targets in most of China from within Indian coastal waters. It could well be another 10 years before that capability is reached.
American Ohio Class Submarine An Artist's ImpressionA typical US SSBN (the Ohio class) submarine carries 24 Trident D5 SLBM missiles with a striking range of 8000KM with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles(upto 10), which could mean as many as 240 warheads/Bombs. When such a submarine goes out to the sea, that many missiles & Bombs are removed from the Country. The US has 18 Ohio-class submarine in service currently(which means 24*10*18=4320 Nuclear Bombs).
The indian Nuclear triad should be composed of five SSBN's. Three for deterrence against China (two on patrol, one on reserve) and two for use against Pakistan (one on patrol and one on reserve). Each of the submarines shoul carry sixteen missiles with Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles.
Class and type: Arihant Class
Type: SSBN
Displacement: 5,500 – 6,500 tons (Est.)
Length: 104m (341.2ft) (Est.)
Beam: 15m (49.2ft) (Est.)
Draft: 9m (29.5ft) (Est.)
Propulsion: PWR using 40% enriched uranium fuel (80MW); one turbine (47,000hp/70MW); one shaft; one 7-bladed, high-skew propeller. (Est.)
Speed: 12-15 (surfaced) 30-34 (submerged). (Est.)
Range: unlimited except by food supplies
Test depth: 300 m (984.2ft). (Est.)
Complement: 100
Sensors and
processing systems: USHUS Sonar
Armament: Torpedoes: 6 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes
Total capacity (torpedoes, and missiles): 30 weapons (est)[1]
SLBM - 12 launch tubes (each with 2.4 meter diameter) [2]
12 x K15 SLBM (3 in each launch tube)
4 x Agni III (SLBM)(Under development)
Torpedoes and Mines
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