INDIA'S BROTHERS IN ARMS: INS ARIHANT & INS CHAKRA KNOW ABOUT THEIR ROLES

Описание: INTRODUCTION:

Submarines will always play a very important role in Indian defense posturing since India has a coastline of about 7,500 km (4,671 mi). India currently operates about 15 submarines, 13 of these are diesel electric whereas, 2 INS Arihant and INS Chakra are nuclear powered.
A nuclear submarine is a submarine that is powered by a nuclear reactor. Very advanced technologies are used, so that the reactors are miniaturized enough to be fitted inside a submarine.
The high cost of nuclear technology means that relatively few states have fielded nuclear submarines.

They are China , France ,Russia ,United Kingdom & United States.

The induction of the nuclear-powered submarine clearly indicates India's intentions in the Indian Ocean Region and South East Asia, which has recently seen increasing assertive Chinese presence in the last few years.
It will also a send a strong reassuring message to south east Asian nations like Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia who want India to play a more active role in the region to counter the assertiveness of China in the area.



NUCLEAR POWERED: (SIMILARITY)

The main difference between conventional submarines and nuclear submarines is the power generation system. Nuclear submarines employ nuclear reactors for this task unlike conventional submarines, which uses diesel electric motors.
Nuclear submarines have a very big advantage over conventional submarines.
Unlike conventional submarines that India operates which need to surface to charge their batteries often - sometimes as frequently as 24 hours - INS Chakra & INS Arihant can stay under as long as it wants.


WEAPONS (DIFFERENCE):

Within nuclear submarines, there are nuclear-powered attack submarines, or SSNs, and those that carry ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads SSBNs. The INS CHAKRA is a SSN. This means, that it is powered by a nuclear reactor and has conventional attack missiles.


Arihant is an SSBN, and is equipped with nuclear missiles. SSBN are strategic systems whereas SSNs are more of a tactical system.

INS CHAKRA is geared toward engaging enemy ships and submarines. INS ARIHANT on the other hand is designed for nuclear deterrence and has the capability of nuclear strike on enemies land mass.

So INS ARIHANT is an underwater ballistic missile carrier and launcher unlike Chakra, which is a fighting submarine.


Lets use now look how these 2 are configured according to their roles.

INS CHAKRA

Project 971 submarine- Akula class, was first deployed by the Soviet Navy in 1986.

The Indian Navy currently operates INS Chakra Akula-class submarine formerly known as K-152 Nerpa—which New Delhi leased from Russia starting in 2011. It was formally commissioned into Indian service later in April 2012.

INS Chakra has been taken on lease from Russia for 10 years. The submarine can displaces 8140 tons and can do over 30 knots twice the speed of any other diesel electric submarine. It is the quietest nuclear submarine around with the 80 crew members on Board.


Armament & Role:

The CHAKRA carry conventional weapons, and are configured with 8, 533mm torpedo tubes. These will be used destroy enemy ships & submarines.

Chakra will allow India to tail enemy subs across oceans, trail enemy carriers and deter enemy subs during peacetime. During war, it’s role will be to destroy enemy submarines and surface warships either as a part of a carrier battle group, or operating alone as a hunter.



INS ARIHANT

INS Arihant is the lead ship of India's Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The 6,000 tonne vessel was built under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam.
INS Arihant is India's first self developed nuclear-powered submarine.
Construction of 5 more Arihant class submarines is also planned.


Specifications:


The vessel is powered by an 83 MW pressurized light-water reactor with enriched uranium fuel. A land-based prototype of the reactor was first built at Kalpakkam and made operational in September 2006. Successful operation over a period of three years yielded the data that enabled the production version for Arihant. It was reported that the nuclear reactor was integrated into the hull of the ATV in January 2008.


Armament
Arihant has four vertical launch tubes, which can carry 12 (3/launch tube) smaller K-15 missiles or 4 larger K-4 missiles.
K-15 Sagarika is a nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 700 kilometres (435 mi).
K-4 is an intermediate-range nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile under development by DRDO of India to arm the Arihant-class submarine and to complement K-15 Sagarika. The missile has an effective range of 3500 km.
Both of these missiles are currently in final testing phase.