China's state run media Global Times has advised India to use its nuclear powered missile submarines carefully.
"With more nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, India’s nuclear deterrence force has increased, but along comes its responsibility in wielding such power, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity" told the Global Times on Thursday.
As long as they exist, nuclear weapons should be used in safeguarding peace and stability, not muscle flexing or nuclear blackmailing, the expert added.
Like its predecessor, the INS Arighat has four launch tubes in its hump. It can carry up to 12 K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), each with a range of 750 kilometres (km), or four K-4 SLBMs with a range of 3,500 km.
INS Arighat will complement the INS Arihant in enhancing India's nuclear triad, which refers to the ability to launch nuclear weapons from land, air, and sea. Given India's "no-first use" nuclear policy, submarines that can launch ballistic nuclear missiles will play a crucial role in deterrence, given their ability to survive a surprise attack and execute retaliatory strikes.
The United States (US), Russia, United Kingdom (UK), France, and China possess larger nuclear submarines with longer-range missiles. For instance, China operates six Jin-class submarines equipped with JL-3 missiles capable of reaching 10,000 km.
The government plans to build additional nuclear submarines, along with conventional vessels, under its long-term capability development strategy. According to reports, this includes five Arihant-class and six nuclear attack submarines, which will be constructed in three phases.
In fact, a Rs 40,000-crore project is currently under consideration with the Cabinet Committee on Security for building two 6,000-tonne 'hunter-killer' nuclear-powered attack submarines, which will be armed with torpedoes and land-attack and anti-ship missiles. During his address at time of the launch ceremony Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that INS Arighat would "establish strategic balance and peace in the region" and added that it will "play a decisive role in the country's security".
The presence of both INS Arihant and INS Arighat enhances India's ability to deter potential threats and safeguard national interests. INS Arihant successfully conducted a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test in October 2022 with high precision, underscoring the effectiveness of the SSBN (Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear) program.