India’s First Nuke Submarine Ready For Commissioning

India’s first of five nuclear submarines, INS Arihant is all set for operations and formal induction in the Navy’s fleet.

The nuclear submarine has cleared all the tests and is said to be technically ready for commissioning at any time, Economic Times news daily reported Tuesday.

The submarine is equipped with K-15 Short Range missiles with a range of over 700 km and a K4 ballistic missile with a range of 3,500 km.

The Indian Navy's Submarine Design Bureau is also presently working on a new class of nuclear powered attack submarines (SSNs) that it hopes to induct within the next 15 years. The plan is to build at least six SSNs in India, with financial sanction given last year for the project that could cost upwards of Rs 90,000 crore.

India has also signed an agreement to refit its four submarines for INR 5000 crore with Russia and will be sending the first submarine for the refit in June this year. India is also in talks with Russia to lease a new nuclear attack submarine unlike in the past when older vessels were refurbished and handed over.