In the turmoil of events in the Greater Middle East, shaken by bloody military conflicts, and volatility in global economic platforms, which has a strong negative impact on the developed and developing countries of the world, an event that could in the medium and long term have a decisive impact on change balance of power in the Indian Ocean region, if not more broadly.
The fact is that not so long ago the military-political leadership (VPR) of the Republic of India announced that the first nuclear submarine (NPS) armed with submarine-launched ballistic missiles had reached a "state of full combat readiness". So far, of course, these are missiles with a flight range of only 750 km, but Indian specialists and the military are already working on integrating a new class for the national naval forces (Navy) on board a submarine and combat missiles with a flight range of several thousand kilometers. And this is an application to join the elite club of states that have a naval component of strategic nuclear forces.
ALL-DISTRACTING TRIAD
Indian naval experts and representatives of the command of the national naval forces have repeatedly stressed that nuclear submarines have such a huge combat potential and allow them to solve such a wide range of tasks that they can have a truly strategic impact.
Moreover, in their opinion, for the Indian Navy, one of the most important tasks of which is determined to strike at the land territory of a potential enemy (first of all, of course, it can be Pakistan and China), the presence of nuclear submarines armed with ballistic and cruise missiles designed to deliver high-precision long-range strikes is "a must, vital requirement."
For the first time, by a “smear”, the possibility of entering into the combat composition of the Indian fleet of nuclear submarines armed with cruise and / or ballistic missiles that can be equipped with nuclear warheads was mentioned by the Indian side in 1999 - in a document entitled “Nuclear Triad” and considered an unclassified part “preliminary nuclear doctrine of India.
Delhi, we recall, became the owner of nuclear weapons after May 18, 1974 at the special army training ground Pohran, Rajasthan, an underground test of a nuclear device with a capacity of about 8 kt, codenamed "Smiling Buddha" or "Pohran I".
The document emphasized that naval carriers of nuclear weapons are less vulnerable to means of detecting and destroying the enemy than aviation or ground ones, which, if damaged, may also result in significant civilian casualties.
But perhaps the most important step was Delhi's adoption of an ambitious naval doctrine that clearly demonstrated its determination to create a naval component of nuclear forces. An unclassified portion of the 184-page document was released in June 2004 under the title "Indian Maritime Doctrine". It clearly states that naval forces are the most appropriate type of national armed forces in terms of the "effectiveness and capabilities" of possessing nuclear weapons and their combat use, and nuclear submarines are the preferred carrier of missiles with nuclear warheads.“In order to solve the tasks of strategic deterrence, it is extremely important for the state to get at its disposal nuclear submarines capable of carrying missiles with nuclear warheads,” the document said.
"THIRD HAND"
All these actions fit well into the policy of "limited nuclear deterrence" implemented by India's NWP and envisaging the creation of compact strategic land, air and sea-based nuclear forces, that is, the classical nuclear triad. Moreover, Indian military experts are firmly convinced that only the nuclear triad, which has the versatility and versatility of the use of nuclear weapons, will ensure full-fledged nuclear deterrence and, if necessary, the most effective use of nuclear weapons.
In particular, retired Commodore Anil Jai Singh, who served for a long time in the Indian submarine forces and served as a naval attaché at the Indian Embassy in London, in the article "The Strategic Impact of Nuclear Submarines" published in early 2012 in SP's Naval Forces, pointed out: “One of the most important players in the fields of the Cold War was nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles. The constant presence of the threat of receiving a nuclear strike from an invisible carrier and the inability to effectively neutralize allowed the adversaries to remain "cold" … Today, the Indian Ocean is becoming the arena of a new confrontation. Moreover, out of a dozen countries that openly declared that they have nuclear weapons, and countries that do not recognize their presence, but actually have them or have almost mastered them, six are located in Asia. China is located on the periphery of the Indian Ocean region, but has serious interests in the region, and countries such as Pakistan, North Korea, Israel and Iran see nuclear weapons as a vital necessity … India is the largest and most powerful country in the Indian Ocean region and therefore it must play an essential role here."
In the new edition of the Indian Naval Doctrine, an unclassified 200-page part of which was published on August 28, 2009 signed by the Commander of the Navy, Admiral Surish Mehta, the importance of the presence in the national Navy of carriers of nuclear weapons, especially submarines, is reaffirmed. And in the same year, on July 26, the first nuclear-powered submarine of Indian design and construction was launched - the lead submarine in the series, which is being built at the shipyard of the Shipbuilding Center in Vishakhapatnam. “Today we are among the five selected states capable of building nuclear submarines,” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasized at the ceremony marking the launching of the Arihant.
MY NAME "ARIKHANT"
The Arihant (INS Arihant; S-73) is classified as a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN). Translated from Sanskrit, her name means "Destroyer of enemies". The submarine is the lead ship of a series of nuclear-powered ships, the design and construction of which are carried out within the framework of the ATV (Advanced Technology Vessel) program.
The traditional Indian sailors' coconut - instead of a bottle of champagne - was "smashed" by the wife of Indian Prime Minister Gursharan Kaur on the side of the submarine. “I name you“Arihant”, the name“Fighter of enemies”, and I wish you all the best for this submarine,” said the Prime Minister's wife, opening a plate attached to the ship's wheelhouse. Manmohan Singh himself opened the ceremony and delivered the main speech, highlighting the tremendous work done by the ATV program director, retired vice admiral D. S. P. Verma and his team. The prime minister expressed special words of gratitude to the Russian specialists who provided invaluable assistance in the creation of the Indian SSBN.“I thank our Russian friends for their consistent and invaluable cooperation, which symbolizes the close strategic partnership that we maintain with Russia,” the head of the Indian cabinet stressed.
The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Defense Arakkaparambil Kurian Anthony, the Minister of State for the Military-Industrial Complex of India Pallam Raju, the Commander of the Indian Navy, Admiral Surish Mehta, as well as representatives of the Government of India and the state of Andhra Pradesh, heads of various organizations directly involved in this program. …
It is interesting that the program for the design and construction of nuclear-powered ships of the "Arihant" type turned out to be so secret (which is unusual for India in itself), and the security measures were so serious that the official launch of the lead missile carrier was not announced. As a result, the date of laying the Arihant SSBN is not exactly known today, it is believed that this happened in 1998 in the presence of Dr. Abdul Kalam, the head of DRDO and then the President of India. The launching of the “Arihant” into the water took place in a place closed from prying eyes, and those present were forbidden to take photographs and filming - only a couple of “government photographers” received permission for it. It is noteworthy that the date for launching the Enemy Slayer was not chosen by chance - it was timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Indian army's victory in the Kargil War.
FROM CLUB TO SAGARIKA
SSBN "Arihant" has a total surface displacement of about 6000 tons, the greatest length is 110-111 m, width is 15 m and draft is 11 m, the declared working depth of immersion is 300 m, the crew is 95-100 people.
In the bow of the submarine there are GAS, six 533-mm torpedo tubes - launchers of the Club-S missile system, racks with ammunition (torpedoes and missiles of the Club-S RC - anti-ship, anti-submarine and cruise missiles for attacking ground targets), central post, solid wheelhouse and, accordingly, retractable devices, and outside there are horizontal rudders.
In the middle part of the hull there are combat posts with various equipment and naval equipment, four launchers of ballistic missiles, etc.
Finally, in the aft part of the submarine's hull there are equipment and apparatus for a nuclear power plant with a pressurized water reactor with a thermal capacity of 80–85 MW and a steam turbine unit with a capacity of about 47 thousand hp, a propeller shaft line, etc., and outside there are rudders and a seven-bladed propeller.
The main weapon of the Enemy Slayer is the K-15 Sagarika ballistic missile system, developed by specialists from the Defense Research and Development Organization of India (DRDO). The submarine carries 12 such missiles (three ballistic missiles in each of the launchers), which, according to Indian sources, can be equipped with nuclear (17-150 kt) or conventional warheads.
The sea-based BR "Sagarika" ("Okeanskaya") was created with extensive use of the developments obtained by Indian specialists in the course of the BR "Prithvi" and CD "BrahMos" programs. Work on it has been underway since 1991, the rocket is a two-stage, solid-propellant. The first launch from the ground stand - January 23, 2004, the first launch from the underwater stand - February 26, 2008, full-range firing - March 11, 2012, and after launch from the underwater stand on January 23, 2013, the Sagarika ballistic missile was declared "ready to integration on the carrier."
The length of the rocket is about 10 m, the diameter of the body is 0.74 m, the launch weight is about 6–7 tons, the KVO is about 25 m, the firing range is up to 750 km, and the payload weight is up to 1000 kg. A number of Indian sources indicate that the developer is taking measures to increase the firing range to 1300-2500 km by reducing the mass of the warhead. Appropriate technical assistance has reportedly been requested from Israel and Russia. The rocket is stored in a composite transport and launch container with a diameter of 2.4 m, launch - from a submerged position.
Interestingly, Sandeep Annitan's article "Secret Underwater Weapons", published in January 2008 in India Today, quoted Rear Admiral Raja Menon, retired, that "the submarine carries at least 12 missiles, each with MIRV which gives 96 warheads in total”. This is a very significant statement. Neither before nor after did Indian sources mention MIRVs for K-15 missiles. However, a number of experts were skeptical about the words of the retired admiral.
In the future, it is planned to place four K-4 ballistic missiles with a firing range of at least 3500 km on the SSBN, which is being worked on by DRDO. Indian sources indicate that the K-4 BR, which, like the K-15 BR, is being developed as part of a "black program" called the "Program for the Creation of K-Family Missiles", has a launch weight of 17–20 tons, a length of 12 m and A warhead weighing 1–2, 5 tons. The first missile launch from an underwater stand was performed on March 24, 2014.
As part of this "black program", work is also underway on the K-5 type submarine ballistic missile with a firing range of 5000 km.
READY FOR BATTLE AND HIKE
On August 10, 2013, Indian specialists performed the physical start-up of the Arihanta reactor, and on December 13, 2014, the submarine was seen going to sea for tests, during which they fired BR and KR, as well as deep-sea tests. The latter were provided by the crew of the Russian rescue vessel "Epron" from the Black Sea Fleet, which arrived in the Vishakhapatnam area on October 1, 2015. It was necessary to attract "Epron" due to the lack of ships of this class in India.
On November 25, 2015, the first launch of the Sagarika ballistic missile was carried out from the Arihant, and by the beginning of February 2016 the test program was completed. On February 23, the Indian SSBN was declared "ready for operations." It was expected that the nuclear-powered ship will take part in the International Naval Parade, but then "for reasons of security and secrecy" this step was abandoned.
The next stage in the life of the "Enemy Slayer" should be its official entry into the Indian Navy, and then - entering the first military service. This is expected to happen this year. In the meantime, Indian sources reported on the commissioning of a communications center with SSBNs in combat service. In the near future, a new naval base "Varsha", which is under construction on the eastern coast of the country, near the port of Kakinada, is to be put into operation, where it is planned to place "Arihant" and two serial SSBNs in special shelters, which will differ from the head in large dimensions and modernized on-board systems. In the future, it is planned to increase the number of SSBNs to five, as well as create a new multipurpose nuclear submarine - for the development and construction of six such submarines in 2015, it was decided to allocate 900 billion rupees, which at the current rate is $ 13.58 billion.
