Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Tuesday confirmed that a new indigenously built, nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine will be commissioned into service soon. The development is crucial for India as Pakistan is set to receive the first of its eight Hangor-class submarines from China in 2026.
India will commission the third indigenous nuclear-powered submarine, INS Aridaman, soon, the Navy Chief said. New Delhi’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) programme is a closely guarded project. “Aridaman is in the final stages of trials and it will be commissioned soon,” he said.
INS Arihant was the first vessel under the SSBN project, followed by INS Arighat. INS Arihant is India’s first home-made nuclear submarine. It was launched in July 2009 and was quietly commissioned in 2016. The Navy commissioned its second indigenous SSBN, INS Arighaat, in August 2024. SSBN stands for ship submersible ballistic nuclear, or nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
INS Aridaman is set to be commissioned early next year. Following this, work will focus on a fourth nuclear-powered submarine. While India has proven air- and land-launched nuclear capabilities, it is now focusing on boosting its underwater nuclear prowess. India is among a select group of countries possessing nuclear-powered submarines; the others are the US, Russia, the UK, France and China.
Admiral Tripathi confirmed that the process to seal the proposed acquisition of six stealth submarines under Project 75 India is nearing completion. The diesel-electric submarines are being procured at a cost of around ₹70,000 crore. He said that contract negotiations for building the six next-generation submarines are at an advanced stage, according to news agency PTI. “I am hopeful that the next stage, which is contract conclusion, will also happen very quickly,” he said.
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Leading German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has partnered with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd for the project, billed as one of the biggest ‘Make in India’ initiatives in recent years. The procurement was initially cleared by the Ministry of Defence in 2021.
Pakistan Navy's dream of matching India's capabilities
It was in 2015 that Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence told a parliamentary committee of the decision to buy eight attack submarines from China “to address a force imbalance with India.” The deal came to fruition after four years of negotiations with Beijing. The agreement is reportedly worth up to $5 billion and the handover is expected to be completed within an eight-year window between 2022 and 2028.
The Hangor-class submarines belong to the diesel-electric attack class. The procurement of these submarines was a major level-up for the Pakistan Navy in its catch-up game to match its Indian counterpart. However, Admiral Tripathi’s new announcement means Islamabad is back to square one, with little to no hope of standing up to the Indian Navy’s numerical and equipment advantage in the event of a face-off.