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Aligning the triad, Addition of INS Arihant, Nuclear Submarine (INS…
Aligning the triad, Addition of INS Arihant, Nuclear Submarine
INS Arihant (Sanskrit for "Slayer of Enemies") is the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.The 6,000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in the port city of Visakhapatnam
The launch of Arihant strengthens India's endeavour to build a credible nuclear triad – the capability to fire nuclear weapons from air, land and sea.
Reports suggest that it had the 750 km range K-15 missiles on board, which is insufficient to reach key targets in, say, China or Pakistan unless it gets close to their waters, which would then make the Indian SSBN a target.
While the K-4 missile (3,500 km range) currently under development would give the country’s sea deterrent the necessary range vis-à-vis its adversaries, INS Arihant would not be able to carry them on board
The Navy would require bigger SSBNs (Submarine with Ballistic Nuclear Weapons) (S-4 and S-5) to carry the K-4 ballistic missiles.
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communicating with SSBNs without being intercepted by the adversaries’ tracking systems while the submarines navigate deep and far-flung waters is among the most difficult challenges in maintaining an SSBN fleet.
Adversaries
The dominant driver of India’s SSBN plans appears to be China's expanding inventory of nuclear submarines.
People’s Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) Jin class submarine with the JL-2 missiles with a range of 7,400 km began its deterrent patrol several years ago
Chinese nuclear-powered submarines (reportedly without nuclear weapons on board) have been frequenting the Indian Ocean on anti-piracy missions, creating unease in New Delhi.
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Pakistan’s reaction to India’s response to China would be to speed up its submarine-building spree, with assistance from Beijing.
BRI,CPEC, Pakistan, China Vs QUAD
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Who controls what?
unlike in the case of the air or land legs of the triad where civilian organisations have the custody of nuclear warheads, the naval leg will be essentially under military custody and control given that there would be no civilian presence on board an SSBN.
no warhead control by civilians (i.e., BARC scientists)
The SSBN captain would have the authority to launch nuclear missiles on orders from the political authority. However, is there a fool-proof Permissive Action Links system in place to ensure that an unauthorised use does not take place?