India fires ballistic missile from nuclear sub

India on Friday announced a demonstration of its “credible nuclear deterrence” when the first indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant launched a ballistic missile from the underwater boat in the Bay of Bengal hitting the target successfully.

“INS Arihant carried out a successful launch of a Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile on October 14. The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy. All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated,” the defence ministry said in a brief statement.

The range of the missile and the nature of the target was not disclosed. Officials said the launch was part of the user training of the crew.

The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant was significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability, the ministry said.

A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘credible minimum deterrence’ that underpins New Delhi’s ‘No First Use’ commitment.

Though INS Arihant is capable of carrying shorter range K-15 (750 km) and longer range K-4 (3500) missiles, it is not known which one was tested. After three decades of secret research, INS Arihant was launched in 2009 in the presence of then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While the submarine joined the service in 2016, being a strategic platform almost all of its activities are kept under wraps. It is understood that INS Arihant was fully operational by the end of 2018.

The lead ship in its class, INS Arihant, completes India’s nuclear triad as it gives New Delhi retaliatory second strike capability from the sea.

A second boat of the same class is believed to have been commissioned even though nothing have ever been officially said. At least three others are under construction at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.

On the other hand, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy currently operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and six nuclear-powered attack submarines.