INS Aridhaman, India's third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, is on the verge of being commissioned in the country's maritime force soon, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said on Tuesday.
"Indigenous nuclear ballistic submarine INS Aridaman would be commissioned very soon," Tripathi told the press during a media briefing in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of the Navy Day celebrations on December 4.
The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) confirmed that India's third SSBN is currently undergoing its final stage trials.
It is worth noting that India currently operates two SSBNs, the INS Arihant and INS Arighat, commissioned in 2016 and 2024, respectively.
However, the INS Aridhaman has a displacement of around 7,000 tonnes, making it larger than its two predecessors, which have a displacement of 6,000 tonnes.
Additionally, it can carry the indigenous K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), having a range of 3,500 km, much greater than the Arihant, which is equipped with K-15 missiles that can neutralise enemy threats within a 750 km radius.