Essays

The Arihant class submarines are nuclear-powered ballistic missile Submarines being developed for the Indian Navy. 'Arihant' is a Sanskrit word which means 'slayer of enemies' or 'destroyer of enemies'. INS arihant, the first in this class of submarines was introduced to the public on July 26, 2009 at a symbolic launch ceremony, which consisted of heating it by flooding the dry dock. However, shortly after its launch it was declared that the submarine is not complete and that key systems including its nuclear reactor, surveillance equipment, sensors, weapons, and ordinance are yet to be installed. Hence, it could not immediately join the Indian Navy.

INS Arihant, India’s first indigenously designed and built submarine, will undergo sea strials brime it formally joins the Indian Navy, which is expected by 2011. Prior to joining, the submarine will undergo Harbour Acceptance trials (HATs) in which the submarine's nuclear reactor will be 'fired' and all the on board systems will be tested on the power generated by the submarine. These will be followed by Sea Acceptance Trials (SATs) in which the submarine will be operated at different speeds and different depths. The final phase will be the weapon trials where the submarine will fire its Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) and torpedoes. This process of testing all the systems installed in the submarine one after another before it is set to work all the systems together is called setting-to-work. The HATs and SATs are expected to last for one and a half year. And full integration of key systems and sea trials are expected to be extensive.

The INS Arihant will be more of 'a technology demonstrator', rather than a fully-operational SSBN. Two more submarines in the class are under construction and the hull sections of these have been completed at L&T facility in Hazira. These vessels are expected to be commissioned with the Indian Navy by 2015. All the three vessels have been designed as a part of India's US $2.9 billion Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project to design and build nuclear-powered fast attack submarines. However, over time the project was re-aligned towards the design of a ballistic missile submarine in order to complete India's nuclear triad. The country already has fighter aircraft and missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. INS Arihants induction will complete India's capability to launch nuclear missiles from air, land and water.

The ATV project was cleared for implementation by Indira Gandhi in 1984. The first step in steel cutting commenced in 1998 and it took eleven years to build the submarine. At present, India has 16 diesel- electric submarines of Russian and German origin, which are all 25- 40 years old. The 5,500 ton nuclear-powered Arihant, when inducted will be capable of carrying 100 sailors and a wide range of torpedoes and ballistic missiles. It would be able to lurk at ocean depths and fir missiles from under the sea. The commissioning of the vessel will put India into an elite club of five—the US, the UK, Russia, France and China—who can build and operate nuclear submarines.

The INS Arihant will be fitted with India's own K-15 ballistic missiles that can be launched from under water. The K-15 missiles which are under production can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads. The 10.4 m tall missiles weighing 6.3 tonnes each, will have a range of 700 km. While the submarine was designed by the Navy the mini-nuclear reactor that powers it was built by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and the K-15 missiles are being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The Arihant class vessels would be powered by an 85 MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) with enriched uranium fuel. The initial design of the miniaturized naval-version of the reactor developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) had technical challenges, after which Russian help was sought to resolve the design glitches. The final production version of the reactor was built by the BARC at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpak am where a land-based prototype of the marine PWR was first built and made operational in September 2006. The prototype included a 42-meker section of the submarine's pressure hull containing the shielding tank with water and the reactor, a control room, as well as an auxiliary control room for monitoring safety parameters.

After successful operation of the prototype for three years, it yielded the data that enabled the production version for Arihant. The reactors are fueled by high fissile fuel which requires lesser refuels for the submarine. The hulls for this class are built by L&T's Hazira shipbuilding facility. The control systems for the submarine were built by Tata Power SED, while Walchandnagar Industries supplied the systems for the steam turbine integrated with the PWR.

INS Arihant is reported to be similar to the Russian Charlie-II class submarine, which India leased from the Soviet Union between 1988 and 1991. The Arihant class may possibly be armed with the existing 75 km K-15 Sagarika SLBM or the under-development K X, an SLB version of Agni-III. The vessel is designed with a blended hump behind the sail for the vertical launchers. The hull features twin flank- array sonars and Rafael broadband expendable anti-torpedo measures. With a length of 110m and powered by single shaft 80inw nuke power plant, it will have a surface speed of 28kmph and underwater speed of 44kmph.

Along with the development of submarines, the Indian navy is developing a new top-secret naval base for its nuclear submarines. Project Varsha is being located within a radius of approximately 200 kilometers (124.27 statute miles) from Visakhapatnam on the eastern coast. The new base is designed to support six Arihant class submarines and it will include state-of-the-art nuclear engineering support facilities and extensive crew accommodations. The Indian Navy is seeking foreign technical assistance pertaining to nuclear safety features for the base. Though designed principally as a nuclear submarine support facility, the new base can also accommodate other naval vessels. In order in support the project, the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) located at Visakhapatnam has been transferred from the Ministry of shipping to the Ministry of Defence.