Description

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Context:

India's fourth nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), referred to as S4, was launched into water at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.

Details

Submarine	Name/Class	Missile Type	Missile Range	Status
S1	INS Chakra	Not known	Not known	First leased nuclear submarine
S2	INS Arihant	K-15 ballistic missile	750 km	On deep sea patrol
S3	INS Arighaat	K-4 ballistic missile	3,500 km	Commissioned in August 2024, on deep sea patrol
S4	INS Aridhaman	K-4 ballistic missile	3,500 km	To be commissioned in 2025

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SUBMARINES OF INDIAN NAVY

INS ARIHANT

INS Arighat

INS Aridhaman: It is a stretched variant of the INS Arihant, with an estimated additional displacement of 1,000 tons compared to the earlier Arihant class submarines. The increased displacement enhances the vessel’s capacity to accommodate more Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), providing greater fireworks and extending India’s second-strike capability.

The submarine is expected to be equipped with a combination of longer-range K-4 missiles (with a range of 3,500 km) and potentially the newer K-5 missiles, which are under development and rumored to have a range exceeding 5,000 km.

About ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)

It is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads.
These submarines became a major weapon system in the Cold War because of their nuclear deterrence capability.
They can fire missiles thousands of kilometers from their targets, and acoustic quieting makes them difficult to detect (see acoustic signature), thus making them a survivable deterrent in the event of a first strike and a key element of the mutually assured destruction policy of nuclear deterrence.
The deployment of ballistic missile submarines is dominated by the United States and Russia (following the collapse of the Soviet Union).
In fact, 70 % of nuclear warheads in the USA are carried by SSBN submarines.

Source

HINDUSTAN TIMES

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements about Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN):

It is designed to launch cruise missiles as their primary weapon.
The first nation to field ballistic missile submarines was the USA.
The world's first operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine was the USS George Washington.

Which of the above-given statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: c

Statement 1 is incorrect: SSBNs are designed to carry and launch ballistic missiles, not cruise missiles.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The first nation to field ballistic missile submarines was the Soviet Union, whose first experimental vessel was a converted Project 611.

Statement 3 is correct: The world's first operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine was USS George Washington (SSBN-598) with 16 Polaris A-1 missiles, which entered service in December 1959 and conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol in 1961.