India quietly launched its fourth nuclear-powered ballistic missile (SSBN) submarine at Ship Building Center (SBC) in Visakhapatnam this week to strength its nuclear deterrence against its adversaries. While Defence Minister Rajnath Sindh commissioned India’s second SSBN INS Arighaat on August 29, 2024, the third SSBN INS Aridhaman will be commissioned next year. On October 9, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the Indian Navy’s plans for construction of two nuclear-powered attack submarines to deter any adversaries in the Indo-Pacific.

Although the Modi government is tight-lipped on nuclear deterrence, the fourth SSBN, codenamed S4*, was launched on October 16, a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Very Low Frequency Naval Station in Damagundam forest area of Vikarabad district in Telangana for command, control and communications with strategic assets of the Indian Navy. The newly-launched S4* SSBN has nearly 75% indigenous content and is equipped only with 3,500km range K-4 nuclear ballistic missiles, which can be fired through vertical launching systems. While the first of its class INS Arihant carries 750 km range K-15 nuclear missiles, its successors are all upgrades of the previous ones and carry only K-4 ballistic missiles.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan