Why in the News?
India quietly commissioned INS Aridhaman, the third indigenously built nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), at Visakhapatnam, strengthening India’s nuclear triad capability.
INS Aridhaman: Key Details
- Name: INS Aridhaman (S4)
- Type: Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN)
- Class: Arihant Class
- Displacement: ~7,000 tonnes
- Built under: Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) Project
- Built at: Ship Building Centre, Visakhapatnam
Missile Capability
INS Aridhaman can carry:
- K 15 Sagarika missiles
- Up to 24 missiles
- Range: ~750 km
- K 4 missiles
- Up to 8 missiles
- Range: ~3,500 km
- Future capability:
- K 5 nuclear capable missiles (under development)
- This gives greater firepower compared to earlier submarines.
India’s Nuclear Triad
India now maintains Nuclear Triad:
- Land Based: Agni missiles
- Air Based: Fighter aircraft nuclear delivery
- Sea Based: SSBN submarines (like INS Aridhaman)
- Countries with Nuclear Triad: India, USA, Russia, China, and France
India’s SSBN Fleet
- INS Arihant — 2016
- INS Arighaat — 2024
- INS Aridhaman — 2026
- S4* (likely INS Arisudan) — Under trials
| [2016] Which one of the following is the best description of ‘INS Astradharini’, that was in the news recently? (a) Amphibious warfare ship (b) Nuclear-powered submarine (c) Torpedo launch and recovery vessel (d) Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier |
