SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
The Indian Navy has received approval for the construction of an additional S-4 class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), according to a report by ANI. This will bring the Navy’s fleet of nuclear ballistic missile submarines to a total of five units.
INS Arihant and INS Arighat, the existing SSBNs, have a submerged displacement of approximately 6,000 tons and are sister ships with the same basic design. However, INS Arighat incorporates significant internal upgrades, making it more advanced than INS Arihant.
The S4 and S4* (Star) are stretched designs of the Arihant class with a submerged displacement of around 7,000 tons. These submarines have been spotted multiple times in satellite images at the outdoor fitment area at the Ship Building Center (SBC) in Vishakhapatnam . While this is the first public report of a fifth submarine being in development, it is likely that construction is well underway.
Given that the S4 rolled out from dry docks in 2022, it is possible that the fifth submarine is already over 50% complete. However, it may still take two to three years before it is moved from dry docks to the outdoor fitment area for further construction and sea trials.
The S4, S4*, and the unnamed fifth SSBN will be the first Indian nuclear submarines to be equipped with the K-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The K-5 has a range of 5000 kilometers, significantly enhancing India’s nuclear deterrence capabilities.
Navy also has plans to develop S5 Class of SSBNs that will have a submerged displacement of around 13,000 tons. S5 Class of SSBN program is likely to take off in next 3-4 years with first submarine set for induction in mid 2030s that will be equipped with K-6 SLBMs that has a range of over 6000km and supersecret K-8.
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