INS Arihant India's nuclear submarine INS Arihant test fires ballistic missile
New Delhi/IBNS: India's indigenously built nuclear submarine INS Arihant Friday carried out a successful launch of a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) that hit the target with high accuracy, a major milestone as earlier test-firings were done from fixed underwater pontoons.
The submarine-launched ballistic missile test proves the credibility of India's naval nuclear deterrent.
"The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy. All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated," the Defence Ministry said.
"The successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN programme, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability. A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence‘ that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment," the Ministry added.
INS Arihant is India's first indigenous nuclear submarine and the flagship of the Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines that is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine.
The 6,000 tonne submarine was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.
India is the 6th country in the world to have nuclear-powered submarines armed with ballistic missiles after the US, Russia, the UK, France and China.
[With UNI inputs]
