New Delhi: India is steadily continuing its march towards attaining an effective nuclear triad capability. The indigenous INS Arihant nuclear-powered submarine is expected to begin sea trials within the next few weeks and subsequently, the nuclear-capable “BO-5” submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) — that has so far been test-fired from pontoons previously — will be test-fired from INS Arihant.
Once INS Arihant is operational after completion of sea trials and fitted with the SLBM, India would attain the capability of launching a nuclear missile from the sea, thereby, attaining the triad capability. The nuclear triad refers to the capability to launch nuclear weapons from the land, air and sea. India already had the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land and air.
“Arihant is going through the power-up cycle (in its nuclear reactor). It is the first time that we are doing the power-up cycle on a nuclear submarine. So, we are very cautious and going step by step. It will take a month or two more before it goes to the sea (for trials),” DRDO chief Avinash Chander told news agencies, on Thursday adding, “During the trial phase, the Arihant will test-fire the fully-developed BO-5 missile as part of the sea trials.”
In March this year, the DRDO had tested a 2,000-km range version of the SLBM from an under-water platform in the Bay of Bengal, which was believed to have been the longest-range underwater missile to have been developed so far by India.
