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Indian Navy: India is strengthening and modernizing its navy. Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said on Tuesday that the third indigenous nuclear powered submarine ‘Aridaman’ will soon join the Navy.
Indian Navy: India is strengthening and modernizing its navy. Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said on Tuesday that the third indigenous nuclear powered submarine ‘Aridaman’ will soon join the Navy. With the induction of nuclear submarines, the combat capability of the Navy will further increase. Addressing a press conference ahead of Navy Day, Admiral Tripathi said that the process of proposed acquisition of six stealth submarines under Project 75 India (P75-I) is nearing completion. He also said that the Navy will get the first four of the 26 Rafale-M fighter jets in 2028. India had signed a deal worth Rs 64,000 crore with France in April for the purchase of jet aircraft. The Navy chief highlighted the role of his force during Operation Sindoor and said that their aggressive stance forced the Pakistan Navy to stay close to its ports.
Operation Sindoor in progress
The Admiral said that the Indian Navy has intensified its patrolling in the Western Arabian Sea for security reasons in the last seven-eight months after the hostilities with Pakistan. The Navy Chief said that Operation Sindoor is in progress. He said the aggressive approach and immediate actions during Operation Sindoor, including the deployment of the carrier battle group, forced the Pakistan Navy to remain close to its ports or near the Makran coast. The Navy chief said Operation Sindoor has put financial pressure on Pakistan as a large number of merchant ships have avoided visiting that country after the hostilities. He said that the cost of insurance of ships going to Pakistan has also increased. Responding to a question on nuclear powered submarines, the Navy Chief said that India is ready to commission the third indigenous nuclear powered submarine soon. India’s nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) program is a highly secret project. INS Arihant was the first ship under the SSBN project. After this came INS Arighat. The SSBN program is a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability.
India proved its capabilities
While India has proven air and land nuclear capabilities, it is now focusing on increasing its underwater nuclear capability. INS Arihant is India’s first self-built nuclear submarine. It was launched in July 2009 and was inducted into the Navy in 2016. India is among the few countries that have nuclear powered submarines. The countries which have such submarines are: America, Russia, Britain, France and China. India has been a leader in advocating universal nuclear disarmament with the aim of complete elimination of nuclear weapons. In 1998, India conducted the Pokhran-II nuclear test, which drew strong reactions from many countries. After the tests, India said that it had conducted these tests for credible minimum deterrence and that it would follow a ‘no first use’ approach. In 2003, India officially presented its nuclear doctrine, which clearly mentioned the policy of ‘no first use’.
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