Indian Navy to adopt second nuclear missile submarine

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Indian Navy is ready to commission the second nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles (SSBMS), Azernews reports.

"The second Indian nuclear missile submarine Arighat is fully ready to enter service with the Navy after long-term tests. The start of its operation is planned in one to two months, " the interlocutors of the publication said. "The new SSB will replenish India's naval nuclear deterrence forces, which have included the Arihant, the first domestic nuclear-powered missile ship of the same type as Arighat, since 2018."

The first two Indian SSBMS are armed with K-15 Sagarika ballistic missiles with a range of 750 km. After completion of construction in 2025, the Navy will receive a third nuclear missile submarine with missiles with a range of 3.5 thousand km.

According to The Times of India, in 2026, India plans to lease an improved Akula-type nuclear torpedo submarine from Russia by a $3 billion deal signed in March 2019.