New Delhi, April 3 India commissioned its new, domestically-built, nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Aridaman, into service on Friday, further strengthening the country's nuclear triad, authoritative sources said.
India's nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program is a closely guarded project. INS Arihant was the first boat under the SSBN project, followed by another boat, INS Arighat.
India is among a select group of countries that possess nuclear-powered submarines. The countries that have such assets include the US, Russia, the UK, France, and China.
INS Arihant is India's first domestically-built nuclear submarine. It was launched in July 2009 and quietly commissioned in 2016. The navy commissioned its second indigenous SSBN, INS Arighaat, in August 2024. SSBN stands for ship-submersible ballistic nuclear or nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
INS Aridaman was commissioned after months of sea trials. It is learned that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the commissioning ceremony at a naval base in Kerala.
There is no official word yet on the commissioning of the boat.
"It's not about words, but about power, 'Aridman'," Defence Minister Singh said in a cryptic social media post in Hindi this morning.
While India has proven air and land-launched nuclear capabilities, it is now focusing on boosting its underwater nuclear prowess.