NEW DELHI: Indian Navy's second nuclear ballistic missile submarine INS Arighat to increase the Indian Navy's strike capability in the Pacific region where China is raising a challenge.

INS Arighat (destroyer of the enemy) was commissioned by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is a modified version of India's first nuclear-armed submarine, INS Arihant. INS Arighat has been undergoing trials since its completion in 2017 at the Shipbuilding Center in Visakhapatnam.

Abbreviated SSBN (Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear) or S-3. It will conduct long-term patrols under the Pacific Ocean. The submarine will be under the control of India's Strategic Command.

The ceremony was secretive in nature as it is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor and carries nuclear missiles. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Tripathi, Chief of Strategic Command Vice Admiral Suraj Berry, DRDO officials and others were present. Rajnath Singh reached during his trip to Kerala.

INS Arighat

• Weight 6,000 tons, length 112 meters
• Four missile launch tubes
• Twelve K-15 nuclear ballistic missiles
• Range of 750 km
• Torpedoes to destroy enemy ships
• Indigenous nuclear reactor and nuclear missiles
• Surface speed of 22-28 kmph
• 44 kmph under water

Two more coming soon

• INS Aridaman coming next year.
• 7000 tons weight
• Ballistic missiles with a range of 3000 km.
• 4th SSBN under construction

Pressurized water reactor

Water, pumped at high pressure to cool the nuclear reactor, turns into steam and spins the turbines. Being nuclear-powered, it can stay underwater for long periods of time. It only needs to come to the surface for essential items and crew changes.