India commissions second Arihant-class SSBN

The Indian Navy has commissioned its second Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). The 6,000 tonne INS Arighat was inducted into the service on 29 August at the Indian Navy's Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam, where it has been under construction for more than a decade.

Indian Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh said in the commissioning ceremony that Arighat would further strengthen India's three-tier retaliatory nuclear deterrent capability, enhancing maritime strike alongside its existing land- and aerial-based capacity to deliver strategic weapons.

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the capabilities of Arighat exceed those of first-in-class INS Arihant , which also displaces 6,000 tonnes, but did not elaborate. No official images of the boat have been issued by Indian authorities.

“The technological advancements undertaken indigenously on [ Arighat ] make it significantly more advanced than its predecessor Arihant ,” the MoD said. “The presence of both INS Arihant and INS Arighat will enhance India's capability to deter potential adversaries and safeguard its national interests.”

Arighat's commissioning comes nearly seven years after the SSBN was launched in November 2017 and 15 years after it was laid down in 2009. Arighat has a length of 111.6 m, a beam of 11 m, and a draught of 9.5 m.