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The 6000 ton INS
Arihant (Destroyer of Enemies) entered its home of sea water after the
customary Indian prayers had been performed and the traditional
coconut broken on the hull.
This indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine
codenamed Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) had been shrouded in
secrecy for over a decade and was for the first time put to public
view during its launch ceremony in Vishakhapatnam on July 26, 2009 to
serve the Indian Navy over the next forty years.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh stated that India did not have “any aggressive designs”
and “an external environment in our region and beyond that is
conducive to our peaceful development and the protection of our value
systems” was critical. Significantly, INS Arihant, with its armory of
a dozen 700 km range Sagarika missiles, completes India’s nuclear
triad and in that context Indian Defence Minister AK Antony observed
that INS Arihant supports India’s “no first use” nuclear weapons
policy. India plans to construct two more such platforms but the
missile to be fitted on the new vessels is still not known. While INS
Arihant has been built with Russian technological assistance, it is a
technology demonstrator for India since such platforms require special
materials and techniques for the construction of the hull and the
nuclear power plant.
 Reacting
to the launch of INS Arihant, the Pakistani naval spokesperson has
observed that the nuclear-powered submarine is a ‘destabilising step’
and that it could trigger an ‘arms race’. He further noted that the
government of Pakistan has to decide on the development of a nuclear
submarine. In the past, Pakistani naval leadership has often argued
that Pakistan being a nuclear power, must possess different means of
delivery and a submarine offers the most credible delivery system.
Pakistan began planning for a nuclear submarine soon after India
acquired on lease INS Chakra in 1988. It was observed that the
acquisition of nuclear submarines by India had exposed the
vulnerability of Pakistan’s sea flank. Pakistan approached Canada for
a conventional nuclear hybrid submarine and by 1990 Islamabad made
enquiry at several other sources including China to buy nuclear
submarines. Pakistan even had plans to train about two hundred
personnel for the proposed submarine.
In
May 1999, the Pakistan Navy was assigned a ‘nuclear role’ and the
‘Strategic Directorate’ was constituted at the Naval Headquarters.
Reportedly, the Chairman of Nuclear Planning Commission (NPC)
inaugurated KPC-3, a nuclear submarine project at Peshawar in 2001.
Soon thereafter, Pakistan Navy announced that it was thinking of
equipping its submarines with nuclear missiles for defensive purposes
and that the French origin Agosta 90B submarines with air independent
propulsion (AIP) system could deliver nuclear weapons.
Construction of nuclear submarines is indeed a
complex matter and involves long gestation periods and huge costs.
Fiscal resources for cash strapped Pakistan could pose considerable
challenges. Similarly, there would be technological constraints to
build such platforms including miniaturization of the warhead.
However, it is not implausible for Pakistan to develop its sea based
nuclear arsenal, especially with technological help from China, which
may consider transferring its aging Han class SSNs for training and
also assist miniaturise a nuclear warhead and marry it with the
Harpoon Block II for land attack purposes.
Given its ambitions and a need to maintain nuclear
deterrence against India, Pakistan is likely to develop a sea-based
deterrence.
The author is Director
Research, Indian Council of World Affairs
INDIAN SCIENTISTS
PROVE THEIR METTLE
According to Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil
Kakodkar “the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), by building the
miniaturised reactor that propelled the country’s nuclear-powered
submarine, had demonstrated that we have our indigenous Pressurised
Water Reactor (PWR) technology.” He called the launching of INS
Arihant “an important milestone” in the Advanced Technology Vessel
(ATV) programme. Nuclear submarines are powered by a nuclear reactor
which generates intense heat that drives a steam turbine which in turn
rotates a propeller.
The 6000-tonne, INS Arihant submarine is powered by an 85 megawatt
capacity nuclear reactor and can acquire surface speeds of 22 to 28
kmph (12-15 knots) and submerged speed upto 44 kmph (24 knots). It
will be carrying a crew of 95 men and will be armed with torpedoes and
missiles including 12 ballistic missiles.
The eyes and ears of INS Arihant were designed and
developed by scientists of the NPOL. The sonar(sound navigation and
ranging) system installed on Arihant are a combination of two
communication systems named `Ushus’ and ‘Panchendriya’. Panchendriya
is a an integrated submarine sonar and tactical control system,
comprising a passive surveillance sonar, a passive ranging sonar, an
intercept sonar, an active sonar and an underwater communications
system.
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