An Expert Explains: What the commissioning of INS Arighaat means to India

The Indian Navy must get a major share of the credit for being intimately involved with the SSBN project from the time its inception, a journey that has involved several very precise and critical processes that do not permit any room for compromise or error.

The significance of the achievement is enormous for self-reliance. Compared to Arihant, India’s first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine that was commissioned in 2016, the indigenisation content has doubled in Arighaat (from 30 per cent to 60 per cent), while the build time has reduced substantially.

Some critical systems and sub-systems have been fully indigenised, which reduces India’s reliance on foreign sources, and enhances reliability and better repair and maintenance support.

Types of nuclear submarines, what makes Arighaat special

Arighaat, like Arihant, is an SSBN.

Nuclear-powered submarines are of three kinds. The one that carries conventional weapons is called an SSN in NATO terminology. The second type is capable of carrying guided missiles with conventional warheads — an SSGN. The third, and typically the largest and most complex, is the one that is capable of carrying ballistic missiles that may be nuclear armed — an SSBN.

Arighaat adds to India’s sea-based nuclear deterrent, which is the most credible and survivable leg of the nuclear triad. It is understood that Arighaat will be able to carry enhanced-range missiles (3,500 km) — which will be a formidable capability.

How Arighaat fits into India’s national security matrix

SSBNs are part of the country’s nuclear deterrent, and constitute the sea leg of the triad, the other two being the air and land delivery systems.

India’s nuclear doctrine, in addition to committing to “no first use”, states that India must have a minimum credible deterrent that must be capable of massive retaliation in case of a nuclear attack by any adversary.

This deterrent is aimed at preventing nuclear escalation of any conflict between two nuclear weapon states. Arighaat will strengthen this deterrence.

Challenges and opportunities in SSBNs like Arighaat, Arihant

The balance weighs heavily on the side of opportunity. If India can construct and operationalise SSBNs with such high indigenous content, it can build any kind of submarine from the nuclear stable. The gains of the enhanced indigenisation can also be utilised towards any future conventional submarine construction programme.

The experience gained by India’s scientific community, the Navy, and industry is beyond measure. The spinoff in terms of creation of jobs and business is also immense. If India’s nuclear submarine-building projects continue, they will prop up hundreds of industries, create several new ones, spur more innovation, and sustain the livelihoods of thousands of Indians.

Technical, operational, and training challenges will be aplenty, but these will work to the advantage of all stakeholders. They will foster even greater expertise, knowledge repositories, employment opportunities, and overall improvement in the defence-scientific-industrial complex.

Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (Retd) is a former Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Indian Navy