Mumbai: India’s first indigenously built nuclear submarine INS Arihant, will be ready for sea trials by next week off the eastern coast in Vishakhapatnam according to sources in the Indian Navy.
This will be followed by diving trials over the next year when the submarine would be inducted by 2016. The boat built at the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) at Vishakhapatnam, was launched in 2009, catapulting India into an elite club of countries that operates self-built nuclear submarines.
“So far, the Arihant was undergoing only harbour acceptance trials. The sea trials, which would begin by next week, should go on for the next few months. This would be followed by the diving trials and then the weapons firing trials before the submarine is formally inducted for operations by 2016.
This is the first time we have built something this complex and otherwise potent which is why we are treading really slow and taking our time with the submarine,” explained a Navy officer.
