Navy tests 3,500-km nuke missile

New Delhi: India on Wednesday carried out the test firing of the nuclear-capable 3,500-kilometre-range K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the Indian Navy's newly inducted nuclear submarine, INS Arighaat, according to a report on Thursday by ANI, citing unnamed defence sector sources.

In a post on social media platform X, the news agency said that the test results were "being analysed". The Indian Navy on Wednesday "carried out the test firing of the 3,500-km K-4 ballistic missile from the newly inducted nuclear submarine INS Arighaat. The test results are being analysed. The boat is operated by the Strategic Forces Command," ANI's social media post said.

In a significant milestone for strengthening India's nuclear deterrence, the navy's second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arighaat, was inducted in August during a commissioning ceremony in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The INS Arighaat, the second submarine in the Arihant-Class, marks a major advancement in India's classified nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine programme.

The country’s first indigenously developed nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, was launched in July 2009 and commissioned in 2016. By 2018, the INS Arihant was reportedly fully operational.

According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the INS Arighaat is “significantly more advanced” than the INS Arihant, incorporating cutting-edge indigenous technological enhancements.

Both the INS Arihant and INS Arighaat are powered by 83 MW pressurised light-water nuclear reactors, allowing them to remain submerged for extended durations — an advantage over conventional diesel-electric submarines, which must surface frequently to recharge their batteries.

Like its predecessor, the INS Arighaat is equipped with four launch tubes on its hump, capable of carrying up to 12 K-15 Sagarika SLBMs with a range of 750 km or four K-4 SLBMs with a range of 3,500 km.