India on Friday commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridhaman, enhancing the country's sea-based nuclear deterrence.
New Delhi: India on Friday commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), INS Aridhaman, enhancing the country's sea-based nuclear deterrence. The commissioning ceremony took place in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi at Visakhapatnam.
INS Aridhaman had completed successful final sea trials in late 2025.
INS Aridhaman, whose name translates to “Perpetually Victorious,” is a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and the third of the Indian Navy's Arihant-class.
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It is designated S4 Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine and displaces approximately 7,000 tonnes.
The vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.
INS Aridhaman will join the existing INS Arihant and INS Arighaat, giving the Indian Navy three operational Arihant-class SSBNs at sea for the first time and expanding the submarine component of the nuclear triad.
A More Capable Submarine
INS Aridhaman represents a major step forward over its predecessors in both size and firepower.
Featuring an enlarged hull compared to INS Arihant, the submarine has an overall length of about 130 metres, a beam of 11 metres, and a draft of approximately 9.5 to 10 metres.
The submarine's displacement is consistently given as about 6,000 tonnes on the surface and approximately 7,000 tonnes submerged, with a complement of roughly 95 to 100 crew members.
The vessel carries a significantly larger missile payload than earlier boats.
Unlike INS Arihant and INS Arighaat, which feature four missile tubes, as per the reports, Aridhaman is equipped with eight vertical launch tubes, enabling it to carry up to 24 K-15 Sagarika missiles with a range of 750 km, or a combination of longer-range K-4 missiles with a range of 3,500 km.
Years in the Making
The submarine was laid down around 2017–18, launched on November 21, 2021, and has been undergoing harbour acceptance and sea trials since 2022, with final weapon and reactor checks completed by mid-2025.
Strategic Implications
INS Aridhaman commissioning comes at a time of heightened maritime competition in the Indo-Pacific.
Her induction will mark the operationalization of three SSBNs, providing continuous at-sea deterrence and bolstering the credibility of India's no-first-use nuclear doctrine.
