India's Navy quietly commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Aridhaman, in Visakhapatnam on Friday in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Arihant-class vessel strengthens the country's nuclear triad. Singh described it on social media as 'not words but power'.
India's Navy formally commissioned INS Aridhaman (S4), the third Arihant-class SSBN, in a low-key ceremony at Visakhapatnam on April 3, presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The event followed the commissioning of stealth frigate INS Taragiri the same day.
Navy sources said the 7,000-tonne submarine had completed extensive sea trials. Singh posted on X: “It’s not words but power, ‘Aridhaman’!” Operated under Strategic Forces Command, it bolsters India's nuclear triad for land, air, and sea-based strikes.
Larger than INS Arihant (commissioned 2016) and INS Arighaat (August 2024), both around 6,000 tonnes, Aridhaman can carry up to 24 K-15 Sagarika missiles, eight K-4s, or K-5s with ranges up to 3,500 km. Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi had noted in December it was nearing commissioning.
Built under the Advanced Technology Vessel project by Visakhapatnam's Ship Building Centre, it joins nations like the US, Russia, China, and France with sea-based nuclear capabilities. India's doctrine commits to no-first-use with massive retaliation.
