INS Arihant (S73)

History

With its own thriving military-industrial complex, India has implemented various programs to help become more self-sufficient in meeting its defense needs. Projects such as the Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine currently under construction for the Indian Navy have proven this. The lead ship of the class, the INS Arihant (S-73) (the name means "Conqueror of the Enemy"), is expected to be a four-man class. Arihant was built at Visakhapatnam Shipbuilding Centre and launched on 26 July 2009.

It is currently undergoing the necessary tests and the ship is expected to be officially commissioned by the end of 2015. The high reliance on locally designed and developed systems and components will undoubtedly provide invaluable knowledge for Indian engineers, builders and submarine development.

As a ballistic missile submarine, Arihant is equipped with a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM)-centric armament. As such, it supports up to 12 x K15 "Sagarika" SLBM missiles with a mission range of up to 1,900 km via a four-barreled Vertical Launch System (VLS) located aft of the sail.

Missiles can be launched while the submarine is submerged, giving crews and submarines a tactical advantage in active theaters of war -- especially when trying to strike a preemptive strike on an enemy. In addition, the Arihant is equipped with a 6 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tube assembly (all facing the bow) for use in combat with enemy submarines or surface ships, with an estimated load of 30 torpedoes.

Torpedoes can also be launched from mines and cruise missiles as required .Specific mission requirements (or have mixed weapons).

The use of a pressurized nuclear reactor (111,000 hp) meant that the Arihant maintained essentially unlimited operating range - effectively limited only by onboard food supplies etc. Depending on the quality of construction and construction, such reactors typically have a useful life of 20 to 25 years. Maximum surface speed has been recorded as high as 15 knots and underwater speed is 24 knots.

The hull has been tested at a depth of 300 meters (about 980 feet). The nuclear reactor drives a single multi-blade propeller with a standard cruciform fin arrangement visible aft.

The Arihant has an overall length of 112 meters, a beam of 11 meters and a draft of 10 meters. Her displacement is 6,600 tons. Standard sonar and radar arrays are currently on board most active submarines, including the fully integrated USHUS sonar system designed and developed in India.

Only two of the four ships currently expected are named - INS Arihant (trial, 2015) and INS Aridhaman (ready for launch, 2015). The remaining two unnamed ships are expected to be launched in 2016 and 2018, although their commissioning dates have not been announced.

All vessels will be based in Visakhapatnam, India.

As the Indian Navy already has a fleet of Soviet-era Akula class submarines, the Arihant class seems to have partially followed their design, so some active duty Akula roles in the Indian Navy are said to have been used in training and finally went to INS Arihant's submariner.

August 2016 INS Arihant officially entered service with the Indian Navy in August 2016. Her home port is in Visakhapatnam. INS Aridhaman is scheduled to be delivered sometime in 2018.

November 2018 - INS Arihant has successfully completed its first patrol mission.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

WEIGHTS

POWER

PERFORMANCE

ARMAMENT

AIR WING