Fitting response to nuke blackmail, says PM on INS Arihant’s first deterrence patrol

 

 

INS Arihant, India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine, has completed its first deterrence patrol, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, describing the submarine as a fitting response to those who indulge in nuclear blackmail.

In a series of tweets that included a rare photograph of the submarine, PM Modi said the first deterrence patrol marks the successful establishment of India’s nuclear triad that gives India the capability to launch nukes from land, air and sea.

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Narendra Modi

@narendramodi

Dhanteras gets even more special!

India’s pride, nuclear submarine INS Arihant successfully completed its first deterrence patrol!

I congratulate all those involved, especially the crew of INS Arihant for this accomplishment, which will always be remembered in our history.

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“Today is historic because it marks the completing of the successful establishment of the nuclear triad. India’s nuclear triad will be an important pillar of global peace and stability,” PM Modi tweeted.

“In an era such as this, a credible nuclear deterrence is the need of the hour. The success of INS Arihant gives a fitting response to those who indulge in nuclear blackmail,” he added, describing the successful completion of the patrol from Visakhapatnam, where it has based, as a “major achievement for our entire nation”.

“True to its name, INS Arihant will protect the 130 crore Indians from external threats and contribute to the atmosphere of peace in the region,” he tweeted.

He said India is a land of peace. “Values of togetherness are enshrined in our culture. Peace is our strength, not our weakness. Our nuclear programme must be seen with regard to India’s efforts to further world peace and stability,” he said.

India currently operates Russian-origin nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra, which it leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012.

INS Arihant is India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine, and the lead ship of the Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, which was launched in 2009 and is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine.

It was quietly commissioned days before the September 18 Uri terrorist attack in 2016.

The 6,000-tonne indigenous nuclear submarine that can fire nuclear ballistic missiles up to a range of 3,500- km was commissioned in secret at a time Pakistani leaders were invoking the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons against India.

INS Arihant’s 100-member crew has been trained by Russian specialists. Indian scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have received significant expertise in reducing the size of the reactor to help it fit into the 10-metre diameter hull of the nuclear submarine.

Nuclear submarines have the capability to stay out in sea for longer, and don’t need to surface for a long duration.

India’s sub-sea power, however, is way behind China’s.

The neighbour’s underwater capability is far superior with more than 60 diesel-electric attack submarines and a mix of 10 nuclear attack submarines and nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

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