Amid the ongoing diplomatic row with Canada and the agreement New Delhi reached with China on patrolling along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, India has quietly launched its indigenously built nuclear-powered ballistic missile (SSBN) submarine, code-named S-4*. The launch reportedly took place at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the fourth SSBN was launched a day after the inauguration of the very low frequency naval station in Damagundam forest area of Vikarabad in Telangana to help boost submarine communication.
The newly launched fourth submarine of India has about 75 per cent indigenous content.
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The submarine, which will be a major boost to India's nuclear deterrence, can launch nuclear-tipped missiles. Indian Navy currently operates two SSBNs—INS Arihant and INS Arighat—both of which are already engaged in deep-sea patrols.
Equipped with K-4 ballistic missiles, which have a range of 3,500 kilometers, S4* is expected to be a major milestone in India's efforts to enhance its naval capabilities and maintain strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
The launch comes barely weeks after India commissioned its second Arihant-Class submarine ‘INS Arighaat’ into the Indian Navy on August 29. Meanwhile, India's third submarine, INS Aridaman, is likely to be commissioned in 2025.
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India is part of an elite club of a few countries—the US, the UK, Russia, China, and India—who have nuclear-powered submarines and have the nuclear triad.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while commissioning the second Arihant-Class submarine, had said it would further boost India's nuclear triad, enhance nuclear deterrence and play a crucial role in the security of the country.