The building of an extra S-4 class nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) has been approved for the Indian Navy. This will increase the number of nuclear ballistic missile submarines with the Indian Navy to five.
The two current SSBNs, INS Arihant and INS Arighat, are sister ships that have the same basic design and have a submerged displacement of about 6,000 tons. But INS Arighat is more sophisticated than INS Arihant since it has a lot of internal improvements.
Stretched designs of the Arihant class, the S4 and S4* (Star) have a submerged displacement of around 7,000 tons. Satellite photographs of the Ship Building Center (SBC) at Vishakhapatnam’s exterior fitment area have shown these submarines on several occasions. Though it’s the first time the public has heard of a fifth submarine being developed, it’s probably well under way.
It’s probable that the fifth submarine is already more than 50% finished, considering that the S4 emerged from dry docks in 2022. It might take a another two to three years, though, before it is transferred from the dry docks to the outdoor fitment area for additional building and sea trials.
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The K-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) will be fitted to the first three Indian nuclear submarines—the S4, S4*, and the fifth, unidentified SSBN. With a 5000-kilometer range, the K-5 greatly improves India’s ability to repel nuclear threats.
Additionally, the Indian Navy intends to build SSBNs in the S5 Class, which will have a submerged displacement of about 13,000 tons. The first K-6 SLBM submarine, with a range of more than 6000 kilometers, and the supersecret K-8 submarine are scheduled for introduction in the middle of the 2030s. The S5 Class of SSBN program is anticipated to start off in the following three to four years.
