India to commission second Arihant-class submarine in 2021

India plans on commissioning the second of its four indigenously developed and built Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in early 2021.

Official sources told Janes that the commissioning by the Indian Navy (IN) in Vishakhapatnam of the 6,000-tonne INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017 and is in the final stages of completing sea trials, had been delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Constructed at the classified Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Vishakhapatnam, Arighat is powered by an 82.5 MW pressurised light water reactor (LWR) developed with Russian assistance that achieves submerged sprint speeds of 24 kt and about 10 kt on the surface.

A derivative of the Soviet-era and Russian nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) from the Project 670A Skat-series (Charlie-I), Project 667 (Delta-I)-class boats and the more recent Project 885 Yasen-class nuclear powered cruise missile (SSGN) submarines, Arighat has an overall length of 111.6 m, an 11 m beam, and a draught of 9.5 m.

Armed with 12 indigenous Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-designed K-15 two-stage submarine launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with a 750 km range, Arighat will join Arihant, the lead boat in India’s INR900 billion (USD12.23 billion) SSBN programme, after its commissioning.

The project involves the government-run DRDO, the IN, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), assorted private companies, and numerous micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in what has emerged as a public private partnership (PPP).

Built with Russian steel equivalent to US HY-80 grade, Arighat is divided into seven compartments, with main divisions for the propulsion and combat management systems, platform management centre, and the torpedo room. The boat also features a double hull, encompassing ballast tanks, two standby auxiliary engines, and a retractable thruster for emergency power and mobility.