Indian Navy commissions 3rd nuclear submarine INS Aridhaman boosting deterrence

New Delhi: India on Friday commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Aridhaman, boosting the country’s nuclear deterrence.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the commissioning in a cryptic social media post. "Shabd nahin, Shakti hai; Aridhaman (no words, only prowess: Aridhman)," he wrote in Hindi.

Without any official word, this is the closest the Union government has come in acknowledging the induction of the 7000 tonnes third SSBN (Submarine, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear) after INS Arihant in 2016 and INS Arighat in 2024.

The SSBNs were designed and manufactured under the super-secretive Advanced Technology Vessel programme.

Armed with eight K4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, each having a range of 3,500 km and carrying a nuclear warhead, INS Aridhaman is India’s most potent platform with a high degree of indigenous content. Its induction allows India to keep at least one of the boomers on deterrent patrol at all times.

Last December, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi confirmed that the SSBN was undergoing the final stages of trials and would be commissioned soon.

India is among a select group of countries to have indigenously developed SSBNs; others include the USA, Russia, the UK, France and China. The induction is seen as a major milestone to enhance the country's strategic strike capabilities. A fourth SSBN – known as S* - is undergoing sea trials.

While there is no official word on the commissioning venue, Singh and Admiral Tripathi, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, DRDO chief Samir Kamat, and other top officials were present at another commissioning ceremony at Visakhapatnam.

They also attended the commissioning of the Indian Navy’s latest stealth frigate INS Taragiri and an event to lay the foundation stone of the Large Cavitation Tunnel at DRDO’s Naval Science and Technological Laboratory in Visakhapatnam.

Once operational, the tunnel will significantly enhance India’s shipbuilding ecosystem by enabling precise validation of hydrodynamic designs and propulsion systems for major naval platforms, including destroyers and aircraft carriers. It will also support the design and development of next-generation ships, submarines and underwater platforms.

India has also begun constructing its first two SSNs, nuclear-powered attack submarines, which are likely to be commissioned only after a decade. The first SSN, sources said, would join the force by 2036 followed by the second one in 2038.

Meanwhile, China’s PLA Navy, the world’s largest maritime force, has prioritised modernising its submarine force as it currently operates six SSBNs, six SSNs, and 48 diesel-powered/air-independent-powered attack submarines. The PLAN’s submarine force is expected to grow to 80 units by 2035 due to an expansion of submarine construction capacity.