India, explained.

An Indian navy officer walks on the deck of fifth Kalvari-Class submarine 'Vagir' anchored at the naval base ahead of its commissioning ceremony in Mumbai January 20, 2023. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)

Time will tell the toll India’s growing SSBN fleet will take on the Indian Navy’s ability to undertake conventional routine operations (Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images)

The implications of India’s newest ballistic missile submarine

Will the country’s latest SSBN further entrench nuclear competition in the Indo-Pacific?

Samuel Bashfield

13 September 20244 min read

India’s second Arihant-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Arighaat, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 29 August. The new submarine brings India one step closer to a nuclear second-strike capability while also entrenching nuclear competition in the Indo-Pacific.

SSBNs are a potent and highly specialised military asset. Operated by only the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and India, these boats are armed with submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles. Due to their inherent stealth and ability to evade detection and survive a first strike, these submarines are designed to provide a reliable second-strike capability and underpin strategic nuclear deterrence via the principle of mutual assured destruction.

Upon commissioning the new SSBN, India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh noted that INS Arighaat “will further strengthen India’s nuclear triad, enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region, and play a decisive role in the security of the country.”

Second Arihant-Class submarine ‘INS Arighaat’ commissioned into Indian Navy in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh in Visakhapatnam.

PM Modi-led Govt is working on mission mode to equip soldiers with top-quality weapons & platforms: RMhttps://t.co/yV0NDIKYmV pic.twitter.com/KZ8MFgQlyc
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) August 29, 2024

India’s first Arihant-class SSBN, INS Arihant, was commissioned in August 2016. Arihant is a Sanskrit term meaning “destroyer of the enemy”, which the Indian Ministry of Defence selected due to its “subtlety and appropriateness”. Although details are scarce, the ministry noted that the newer INS Arighaat is “significantly more advanced”, and has benefited from various indigenous systems and equipment developed by Indian science, naval and industry specialists.

Like its predecessor, INS Arighaat has four launch tubes, and can carry either 12 K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles (750km range) or four K-4s (3,500km range). Submarine specifics are tightly held, and photos are hard to come by. India’s third SSBN, named INS Aridhaman, is expected to be commissioned in 2025, and a fourth is currently under construction.

India’s nuclear weapons program made various advances in 2024. In March, India successfully tested its Agni-V land-based intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles – further closing the technological gap between India and China.

India’s growing nuclear deterrence capability will bolster its ability to partner and act as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean.

Despite commissioning its second SSBN, India’s submarines alone will not achieve the coveted “Continuous At Sea Deterrence” status – whereby at least one nuclear-armed submarine is on deterrence patrol at any one time, enabling a retaliatory strike and thereby deterring adversaries. A fleet of at absolute minimum three SSBNs is required to ensure one submarine is on deterrence patrol at any one time – the United Kingdom and France achieve continuous deterrence with four submarines each.

INS Arighaat’s commissioning will impact Indo-Pacific strategic dynamics in several key ways. First, in practical terms, it will bolster India’s second-strike capability. A second SSBN will provide a more regular deterrence presence for India, as well as greater patrol pattern flexibility. Two SSBNs can synch and rotate, enabling patrols while also affording time for maintenance and training.

Second, India’s growing nuclear deterrence capability will bolster its ability to partner and act as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean. By possessing such an advanced and potent nuclear arsenal, India will be increasingly seen as a stabiliser by extra-regional partners such as the United States and Japan. With a growing second-strike capability, India is better able to maintain a favourable balance of power and deter aggressors.

Third, however, INS Arighaat will hasten nuclear competition between India and its two adversaries: China and Pakistan. China possesses a growing fleet of modern SSBNs and Pakistan is continuing to modernise and expand its nuclear arsenal, and is interested in attaining a second-strike capability. India’s newest SSBN will further entrench nuclear competition in the Indo-Pacific.

Fourth, time will tell the toll India’s growing SSBN fleet will take on the Indian Navy’s ability to undertake conventional routine operations. While SSBNs are designed to operate in secret, a range of naval assets are required to maintain a secure patrol area and deter adversary anti-submarine warfare assets. Protecting SSBNs comes at a high financial and opportunity cost, which may limit the Indian Navy’s ability to undertake less pressing, but nevertheless important missions in the Indian Ocean.

INS Arighaat represents a notable advance in the nation’s strategic capabilities, enhancing its deterrent posture and regional influence. However, its ultimate effect on security dynamics and regional stability will depend on how the capability is perceived and countered by fellow states, most notably China and Pakistan, and whether the growing SSBN fleet expands or constrains India’s strategic choices.

About the author

Samuel Bashfield

Samuel Bashfield is research fellow at La Trobe University’s Centre for Global Security.

Topics

India Defence & security