India launches first nuclear-powered submarine

[Xccentricity]

PM launches INS Arihant in Visakhapatnam


HYDERABAD: India on Sunday reached a milestone when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur launched the country's first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine 'INS Arihant' for sea trials.

Prime Minister arrived at the ENC's airbase INS Dega in Visakhapatnam by a special IAF plane along with his wife at 11 am and drove straight to the naval dockyard to commission INS Arihant into the sea.

The 6000-tonne submarine will first be put on sea trials for two years before being commissioned into full service.

In these two years, the submarine will also undergo harbour trials of its nuclear reactor and other systems.

Sunday's launch coincides with Vijay Diwas marking India's triumph over Pakistani intruders in Kargil.

With the launch of the submarine India will join the exclusive club of US, Russia, China, France and the UK with similar capabilities.

The ENC headquarters in Visakhapatnam has been decked up for this historic event, navy sources said.

INS Arihant has been built under the advanced technology vessels (ATV) programme at a cost of $2.9 billion at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam. Code-named Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV), the submarine christened 'INS Arihant' (destroyer of enemy) was launched for sea trials at the Matsya naval dockyard here.
As India has declared "no first use" of nuclear weapons, the country's weapons system must survive a first strike for retaliation. Therefore, Arihant's primary weapon is stealth as it can lurk in ocean depths of half a kilometre or more and fire its missiles from under the sea.
The 6000-tonne submarine is powered by an 85 megawatt capacity nuclear reactor and can acquire surface speeds of 22 to 28 kmph (12-15 knots) and submerged speed upto 44 kmph (24 knots). It will be carrying a crew of 95 men and will be armed with torpedoes and missiles including 12 ballistic missiles.

Four more nuclear-powered submarine of this class have already got government's nod and these would add to the Navy's underwater combat potential in the years to come.
Defence Minister A K Antony, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy witnessed the event.

The Prime Minister flew to Vishakapatnam this morning by the IAF's newly acquired Boeing business jet and reached the venue of the submarine launch by road.
Sea trials of the submarine will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal off Vishakapatnam, where the vessel was under construction for the last two decades.
The Rs 30,000-crore secret nuclear submarine project was started in the 1980s though it was conceived by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the 1970s.

The first official admission of the project nearing completion came this February when Antony had announced it during the AeroIndia show in Bangalore.
INS Arihant can also be armed with cruise missiles. The DRDO is already working on an equally secretive Sagarika project for a 700-km K-15 missile, capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
With US, Russia and China already fielding 5,000-km range SLBMs, the DRDO too has recently tested an SLBM based on the design of 3,500-km range Agni-III.

The induction of ATV will help India to complete the nuclear weapons triad, as envisaged under its nuclear doctrine to deliver nuke-tipped missiles from land, air and sea.

India has land-based nuclear-capable Agni ballistic missiles, apart from IAF fighters such as Mirage-2000 that can deliver tactical nukes.
Two decades ago, India had operated a Charlie-class nuclear submarine, christened INS Chakra, leased from Russia for three years between 1989 and 1991.

Moscow will again lease out two Akula-class nuclear submarines to New Delhi for 10 years. Plans to deliver the submarines this June were hit by a mishap during sea trials late last year. But hopes have soared for its delivery in 2010 after Russia took out the repaired vessel for sea trials again early this month.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/N...ow/4820660.cms

[paroh]

Its a good news but when i read this , it first strikes me that we need electricity and water. If they set a nuclear power plant to generate power it is more good news.

[Baker]

it is really a great news ..........

congrats to our scientists , who worked behind this project

[nix]

I think our government needs to provide basic protection to our soldiers like bulletproof vests, new guns etc.. and not spend billions of dollars on this submarine. This sub is not going to help us much in a war with china, nor will it help india raise its international stature. Militarily, we aren't anywhere close to the superpowers( US, China and Russia). I think we need to start with the basics first. We haven't even proper roads along the china border for transport of essentials in case of war.

We should have adopted an aggressive foreign policy decades ago. now, its too late. We should be taking border incursions very seriously and we should not hesitate to retaliate.

[Ramakrishnan]

This sub-marine is not even operational. Just Political Stunt. It will take two years even to start the nuclear reactor inside this sub.

[Cool G5]

Good going India

[iinfi]

Originally Posted by nix

I think our government needs to provide basic protection to our soldiers like bulletproof vests, new guns etc.. and not spend billions of dollars on this submarine. This sub is not going to help us much in a war with china, nor will it help india raise its international stature. Militarily, we aren't anywhere close to the superpowers( US, China and Russia). I think we need to start with the basics first. We haven't even proper roads along the china border for transport of essentials in case of war.

We should have adopted an aggressive foreign policy decades ago. now, its too late. We should be taking border incursions very seriously and we should not hesitate to retaliate.

+1

[virus_killer]

Originally Posted by nix

I think our government needs to provide basic protection to our soldiers like bulletproof vests, new guns etc.. and not spend billions of dollars on this submarine. This sub is not going to help us much in a war with china, nor will it help india raise its international stature. Militarily, we aren't anywhere close to the superpowers( US, China and Russia). I think we need to start with the basics first. We haven't even proper roads along the china border for transport of essentials in case of war.

We should have adopted an aggressive foreign policy decades ago. now, its too late. We should be taking border incursions very seriously and we should not hesitate to retaliate.

Well said, However, i am not fully agreed with what you have said. with this movement, India has became the 6th country in the whole world who has the nuclear powered submarine. if you consider the fact that many countries are heading towards the nuclear powered weapons. and this step will give us an advantage over our close enemy Pakistan. as they have not got one yet. i am not against the fact that our government should not consider the basic needs of the country, but government has to give priorities to certain objectives according to their advantages and disadvantages.