INS Arihant (ATV) Launch News and Discussion

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Jul 2009 22:33

Looks like a crude photoshop job of this

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 23 Jul 2009 22:36

But that's the only difference between the two. On the ATV, the sail is way forward, there are VLS launch tubes just behind the sail, and the sub is of a lesser displacement.

And Sandeep Unnithan's model is clearly inspired from this.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Jul 2009 22:38

Look at the gray background behind the sail. The cut and paste is crude

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 23 Jul 2009 22:40

Of course it is a crude cut and paste. I don't have photoshop on me right now.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 23 Jul 2009 22:43

Wait... you did this? I thought it was one of Sengupta's 'scoops'

negi · Post by **negi** » 23 Jul 2009 22:54

INS Chakra never had a the characteristic teardrop housing for TAS .Also the coning tower was not blended into the HULL (the one in both the pics is an Akula rip off ) it was infact a pretty conventional design.

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 23 Jul 2009 22:56

See they are similar
Above: My ATV design speculation.
Below: Sandip Unnithan's drawing of the ATV.

negi · Post by **negi** » 23 Jul 2009 23:00

^ Check the diving planes in Unnithan's drawing they are mounted on the Coning tower instead of the forward section of the hull as in the standard Akula design (retractible).

Also imho the ATV hull form and superficial appearance is not gonna be Akula like ; most of the drawings available in open source are almost exact Akula replicas which make little sense as the specs and the weapons compliment of ATV does not match with the Akula.

John Snow · Post by **John Snow** » 24 Jul 2009 01:25

Just came back from SA and other countries in hat vicinity.

SA navy is also building up ist Submarines and as usual the Germans and the current president are engulfed in curruption charges.

SA geographically is like South India (peninsula wise) with Indian Ocean and Atlantic oceans.

SO in addition to the list of countries mentioned in the previous pages SA is also interested in India's Ocean.

South Africa placed a contract for three Type 209/1400 submarines in July 2000 on Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Thyssen Nordseewerke. The Type 209/1400 displaces 1,450t surfaced and 1,600t dived. The Type 209/1400 submarines replace the French-built Daphné class submarines, SAS Spear, SAS Assegai and SAS Umkhonto which were decommissioned in 2003. The Heroine class are sometimes considered to be South Africa's first "true" submarines, as they were more suited to being underwater than the Daphné models.[1]

The first submarine, SAS Manthatisi (S101), was built by Howaldtswerke at Kiel. It was launched in June 2004 and commissioned in November 2005. The second and third submarines were built by Thyssen Nordseewerke in Emden. The SAS Charlotte Maxeke (S102) was launched in May 2005 and commissioned in March 2007. The third submarine, SAS Queen Modjadji (S103), was launched in 2006 and handed over in February 2008.

The submarines' homeport is Simon's Town naval base in Cape Town.

from wiki.
I visited Simonstown and saw a sub but was not able to photograph it as the car was moving fast on a curve and it was out of sight for me.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Jul 2009 06:29

Russian subs I believe always had diving planes on hull and not on sail
due to risk of damage when breaking through arctic ice .. they had reinforced sails....but I think whether sail or hull these control surfaces can
be folded up. I have seen a photo of a 688 class with planes folded and
surfaced into a arctic polyna.

fans of SSN under ice ops - would highly recommend Ice Station Zebra

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 24 Jul 2009 06:59

1. Even our own kilo class subs have diving panes which are retractable into the submarine's hull. This is not possible if the panes are placed on the sail.

2. The ship building complex is possibly a cramped space, don't expect good pictures of the submarine when it is launched. Its features will not be revealed just yet. Possibly the only picture will be of Mrs Gurusharan kaur breaking the coconut on a big black hull.

3. DDM doesn't know how to use its video cameras, so the videos are also likely to be unsatisfactory for jingos.

negi · Post by **negi** » 24 Jul 2009 07:57

Well..the sails on coning tower are mostly a common feature on USN SSBN's (ohio class) even the FRENCH Le- Triomphant class have the planes protruding from the coning tower itself.Surprisingly munna UKstan's Vanguard class has retractable diving planes in the forward section like most of the SSN's across the globe. And even the contemporary DE subs (Scorpene and Oyashio class) have diving planes on the coning tower ,only the germans seem to have opted for retractable type planes on the U-214 (their U-212 still has them on sail though) .

Perhaps the nukes have the luxury of a large size and hence can have the planes mounted in the forward section of the hull and yet ensure the turbulence from planes does not affect the SONAR performance , the DE's on the other hand do not seem to have this luxury .

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 Jul 2009 09:54

What about Torpedoes for Arihant , whats the guess Indian HWT ( is this operational ? ) , French or Russian Type 65 and Shkval

Sonar will be for sure an Indian one , way way in 2005 a BEL guy was hinting of such a sonar under development for an important project

BTW expect Sandeep to come up with more interesting information on Arihant in this weeks edition of IT and demystify stuff.

Added Later: I guess we do not need any torpedoes powered highly volatile hydrogen peroxide fuel which was the nemesis of Kursk , even Russia has removed all torpedoes powered by HTP fuel after Kursk incident , so I guess no more Type 65 in service

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 24 Jul 2009 10:23

It is better if the entire Arihant hull is not displayed. Just a scene of Ms.Kaur breaking the coconut, with the massive bulging bow in front, and a quick pan of the sail and body is fine. It is useful to maintain a good degree of mystique around the boat.

On the other hand, expect hatchet jobs from the usual non-prol and arms control ayatollahs, who will promptly apply their SWAGing skills to state that the Arihant is an incapable, noisy white (or black ?) elephant, that will never anything, particularly in comparison to Jin class and massa Ohio ones, how it can be found by a guy in a copter with a geiger counter, etc...

It is important to understand there there are a lot of knives unsheathed, just waiting to pick on the Arihant the moment it makes its first public display. Emotional responses and bitter claims of victimization will not work, particularly since a lot of valid claims will be made (e.g. lack of familiarity with SSBN usage doctrines, submerged cold launching from sub not yet demonstrated etc), couched between weasel language.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 Jul 2009 13:10

Sorry guys my bad

Here is something to cheer you up

Sea trials of Russia's Nerpa submarine on schedule - official

KHABAROVSK, July 24 (RIA Novosti) - Final sea trials of Russia's Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine, which was damaged in a fatal accident during previous tests, are continuing on schedule, a shipyard official said on Friday.

The vessel resumed sea trials on July 10 in the Sea of Japan following extensive repairs.

"The resumed sea trials are going according to schedule," the official at the Amur shipyard said, without specifying when the tests would be completed.

A high-ranking defense official said on July 10 the trials would last for about two weeks.

On November 8, 2008, while the Nerpa was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan, its on-board fire suppression system went off, releasing a deadly gas into the sleeping quarters. Three crewmembers and 17 shipyard workers were killed. There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, on board the vessel at the time.

Following the repairs, which cost an estimated 1.9 billion rubles ($60 million), the submarine was cleared for final sea trials before being commissioned with the Russian Navy and leased to the Indian Navy by the end of 2009.

India reportedly paid $650 million for a 10-year lease of the 12,000-ton K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 24 Jul 2009 13:17

US subs are ususally launched with a huge flag covering the bow,concealing the shape of the bow sonar.The Arihant could be similarly launched if it has a large spherical bow sonar with tubes on either beam.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 24 Jul 2009 14:16

Philip wrote:US subs are ususally launched with a huge flag covering the bow,concealing the shape of the bow sonar.The Arihant could be similarly launched if it has a large spherical bow sonar with tubes on either beam.

How can covering the bow with huge flag can conceal the bow sonar , when the sonar is inside the dome and any way concealed ?

Infact there are quite a few pictures of spherical bow sonar of Seawolf.

The bow is covered with flag during launch ceremony and commissioning event like this

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Jul 2009 17:39

I have natgeo video of ssn virginia launch. the bow was not covered with
anything but the ducted fan in the rear was. the virginia has a flattish
bulge below the bow for chin sonar (mine avoidance). the first 20-25 feet
seem dedicated to the bow sonar only which is massive sphere encased
in some white material and atleast 20 feet diameter.

Shankar · Post by **Shankar** » 24 Jul 2009 17:41

Yuriy Dolgorukiy is the first SSBN submarine of the Borei class that is being built for the Russian Navy. Named after the founder of Moscow Yuri Dolgoruki, it was laid down on 2 November 1996 and was first planned to enter service in 2001.

However, the SS-N-28 missile that the Borei class was supposed to carry was abandoned after several failed tests, and the submarine was redesigned for the Bulava missile. Based on the Russian Topol-M (SS-27) ICBM[citation needed] the Bulava missile is smaller than the original SS-N-28, and in the 2007 START treaty data exchange it was reported that all Borei-class submarines would carry 16 missiles instead of 12, as originally intended.

The submarine was rolled out of its construction hall into a launch dock on 15 April 2007 in Severodvinsk, when it was about 82% complete. The Russian Government has allocated nearly 5 billion rubles, or 40% of the Navy's 2007 weapons budget, for the completion of the submarine.[citation needed]

Some doubts about the conditions in which the boat was launched were expressed to the Russian press by workers and managers at the Sevmash plant, where the construction was taking place. Specifically, workers noted that welding of the submarine's outer hull was in some places unfinished.[citation needed]

There was some speculation that Yuriy Dolgorukiy would be rushed through the rest of its production and testing phases in order to be ready for the 2008 Russian presidential elections. Much of the ship's equipment remains as yet uninstalled and untested, a process that would normally take over a year to complete.[1]

On 13 February 2008 Yuriy Dolgorukiy was finally launched from its floating dock in Severodvinsk where the final outfitting took place [2]. The submarine's reactor was first activated on 21 November 2008.[2] and submarine begin its sea trials on 19 June 2009.

It is expected to be commissioned in late 2009 or early 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_su ... Dolgorukiy

you crafty Austin - so very interesting

arjun_vs · Post by **arjun_vs** » 24 Jul 2009 18:01

Hot news. INS Arihant surfaces on LIVEFIST.......

Kakarat · Post by **Kakarat** » 24 Jul 2009 18:55

India Today EXCLUSIVE: The INS Arihant Surfaces

krishna_krishna · Post by **krishna_krishna** » 24 Jul 2009 19:09

Gurus any idea on K-X missile, the article in live fist suggests a longer range 3500 km missile under development.Or is it the agni 3SL to confuse eavesdropping neighbors

nrshah · Post by **nrshah** » 24 Jul 2009 19:11

I think it is Agni 3SL only, It has been branded as K - X so as to synchronize with K -15

-Nitin

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 24 Jul 2009 19:19

Original Sandeep Unnithan's article. Posting in full.

Deep Impact

At around noon on July 20, history was created at a brightly-lit, completely enclosed dry dock called the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam. As the waters from the harbour cascaded into the 15-metre deep dry dock, a long black shape sitting on a series of wooden blocks, stirred. With a lurch, it slowly rose, just like a sea monster.

After 11 years of construction, the Arihant (meaning destroyer of enemies), India’s first indigenous nuclearpowered submarine, was finally in the water. The three-hour ‘test undocking’ was only the dress rehearsal. The actual July 26 event will see Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur breaking the auspicious coconut on the hull of the 5,000-tonne submarine, following the naval tradition where a lady launches a warship.

The momentous launch would complete a cycle which began in 1974 with the then prime minister Indira Gandhi authorising the building of a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) under the classified Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project. For over three decades, the highly classified programme has been propelled by political vigour.

Carried out under the direct supervision of successive prime ministers, it formed part of the national secrets, including the nuclear weapons programme, which each incumbent bequeathed to his successor. “The launch of the submarine puts us in an exclusive league of five other nations capable of designing and building their own nuclear submarines,” says Vice-Admiral (retired) M.K. Roy, the ATV’s first project director.

A nuclear submarine is powered by a nuclear reactor which generates tremendous heat that drives a steam turbine. It is, however, one of the most complex machines on earth, the reason why only five countries have the capability. The last country to join was China, way back in August 1971.

Unlike the conventional diesel-electric submarines which have to surface to charge their batteries, nuclear submarines have unlimited underwater endurance and their speed is twice that of their conventional counterparts.

Armed with nuclear tipped ballistic missiles (SLBMs), they form the third leg of a nation’s nuclear ‘triad’ comprising air and surface-launched nuclear weapons. Over the next five years, the troika of Arihant class SSBNs, each costing Rs 3,200 crore, will make the third leg of India’s nuclear triad—a strategic underwater platform for launching nuclear weapons.

The Arihant is, for all practical purposes, a functional, fully-fitted out submarine. After this brief ceremony, the submarine is to be towed out for the first time across the naval dockyard and moored in an enclosed pier called Site Bravo—“from the maternity ward to the nursery”, as one official puts it.

Over the next few months, it will commence a series of full system harbour trials. The primary system, a nuclear reactor, generates the heat which drives the secondary system, a steam turbine which spins the submarine’s propeller, are to be tested separately.

First, the steam turbine is to be jump-started with shore-based supply. The next significant step will be starting up the submarine’s nuclear reactor where the zirconium rods in the core of the submarine’s 80 MW pressurised water reactor will be slowly raised, allowing the reactor to become critical in slow degrees. It will take around three weeks to go fully critical.

Only after all systems are tested, will the primary and secondary systems be mated. If all goes well, the submarine will be allowed to sail out to begin sea trials next year. Weapon trials, including the firing of its arsenal of 12 K-15 short range ballistic missiles, are the last stage of the trials before the submarine is finally commissioned to the navy by 2011.

The submarine will carry four of an under-development submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) ‘K-X’ with 3,500-km range, each with several warheads called multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). These missiles will enable the submarine to conduct deterrent patrols in proximity to Indian waters.

The Indian Navy is only responsible for running and maintaining the nuclear submarines. All its tasking and patrols are to be controlled by the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA) headed by the prime minister. Orders will be passed to the submarine through a secure communication network. The launch of the Arihant is a major step forward in India’s quest for a minimal but credible nuclear deterrent. Its Asian rival China has 10 nuclear-powered submarines and is building an equal number, giving the Chinese navy tremendous reach into the Indian Ocean. But India has still a long way to go, says strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney.

“It will still be some years before an N-sub with SLBMs is deployed. In fact, the gaps in India’s nuclear deterrent vis-à-vis China remain glaring. If India’s nuclear deterrent was credible, Beijing wouldn’t mess with India. But the rising Chinese bellicosity suggests otherwise,” he says.

The Arihant has taken 11 years to complete. It is the first in a series of nuclear-powered submarines to be built over the next two decades. The long arduous road began in 1967 with a Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) feasibility report on nuclear propulsion. A more detailed report was presented in 1971. And after the Pokhran nuclear test of 1974, Indira Gandhi authorised a project to build a nuclear submarine which would carry a robust, survivable nuclear deterrent. It was always called a naval reactor project.

For a good reason though. Compacting a nuclear reactor to fit snugly within the submarine’s 10-metre diameter steel cylinder was going to be the greatest challenge. The reactor also had to go from full ahead to full astern and also from high speed to low speed. The BARC derivatives of its civilian power reactors were too large and incapable of meeting the required performance parameters. Work on the ATV began only in the 1980s with Soviet assistance.

In 1981, Indira Gandhi sent a joint navy and BARC team to visit the USSR to study an offer from the Soviet Union to design and build nuclear submarine. “She was enthused by the fact that we were getting access to so much hightechnology,” says a former project head. Months before her assassination in 1984, Indira Gandhi supervised a secret intergovernmental agreement with the Soviet Union under which India would receive training on handling a nuclear submarine and design assistance to build one.

A three-year lease was signed for acquiring an elderly Charlie-I class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine (SSGN). And the ATV project team was set up, headed by a retired vice-admiral, who was given the rank of secretary to the Government of India who and reported to the chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The first group from the navy’s nascent Submarine Design Group (SDG) which actually designed the ATV trained with Russia’s Rubin design bureau. Funds for the Rs 2,800-crore project were never a problem and were sanctioned from the cabinet secretariat, and the joint DRDO-Navy project was always a closed loop within the Prime Minister’s Office.

After Indira’s assassination, the ATV baton passed on to Rajiv Gandhi who was also the defence minister. “Rajiv understood both technology and strategy and was in favour of the project. He would keenly participate in our discussions on whether our N-submarine needed one reactor or two and the availability of enriched uranium for the reactors,” says a former project official.

In January 1988, Rajiv donned work overalls and boarded the INS Chakra as she steamed into Visakhapatnam to join the navy. He became the only Indian prime minister to board a nuclear-powered submarine. The return of the Chakra at the expiry of its lease in 1991 coincided with the implosion of the former Soviet Union, the tectonic event that nearly killed the project. Officials say there was a perceptible lack of political interest in the project on both sides: President Boris Yeltsin in Russia and prime minister Narasimha Rao. The SDG, meanwhile, began converting the Charlie-1 designs for industrial manufacture.

The Indian private sector was chosen to build the 104-metre-long prototype, dubbed S2. Larsen&Toubro (L&T) built the hull, Tata Power made the control systems and Walchandnagar Industries made the complex high pressure pumps and valves which carried saturated steam. The BARC had still not succeeded in perfecting the reactor so the Government decided to continue reactor development parallel to the construction of the first submarine.

On January 5, 1998, in a quiet ceremony at the L&T’s Hazira facility, the then DRDO chief APJ Abdul Kalam symbolically cut the first steel plate of the ATV. The project picked up speed under the NDA and during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the prime minister who stunned the world by bringing India out of the nuclear closet. Vajpayee, who also headed the newly-established NCA, chaired the apex committee of the ATV.

The project also had two other authorities—the political and the executive council. The project remained under the direct control of Vajpayee through his national security adviser, Brajesh Mishra. Talks for the lease of another nuclear submarine with Russia were revived.

In January 2004, India and Russia signed a secret $650-million intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for the completion and lease of one unfinished Akula class nuclear-powered attack submarine and training crews to man them. (The submarine, also called the Chakra, is undergoing trials in Russia and is expected to join the navy later this year). The crucial part of the IGAwas the assistance to build the reactor, which had delayed the project by years.

The project entered its last mile during Manmohan Singh’s first tenure in 2004. He attended several meetings and would often ask project officials, “Everything alright?” The query was a mere formality because the project received unstinted support. In 2005, the UPA Government gave an in-principle clearance for building a follow-on series of larger ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), costing nearly Rs 8,000 crore a piece or nearly twice that of the current series of ATVs and another line of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines (SSNs) to escort them.

“If you need money, you’ll get it,” the then finance minister P. Chidambaram had assured the project team. The last and most important milestone was reached in 2006 when an indigenously-built version of the Russian VM-4 PWR, which propelled the Charlie-1, was successfully landtested and sealed into the hull of the ATV the following year.

As Singh walks towards the Arihanton July 26, he can have the satisfaction of having supervised the final chapter in India’s nuclear destiny.

Har Har Mahadev!

prashanth · Post by **prashanth** » 24 Jul 2009 19:20

Kakarat wrote:India Today EXCLUSIVE: The INS Arihant Surfaces

What about towed sonar array? Also the speed of submarine under surfaced and submerged conditions appears to be interchanged.

Added later: The India Today article is by far the most detailed article about our ATV.
Jai Hind.

sunilUpa · Post by **sunilUpa** » 24 Jul 2009 19:21

Continued..

The legacy of prime ministers

The ATV project has remained under the direct supervision and control of Indian prime ministers

Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi, 1966-77 and 1980-84
Authorises building of an Nsub (SSBN) after 1974 Pokhran test. Launches ATV programme in March 1984. Signs IGA with the Soviet Union in 1984 for assistance in design and construction of an N-sub.

Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi, 1984-89
Oversees ATV programme in its early years. Understood its relevance to the N-weapon programme he restarted. Became the only Indian PM to visit an N-sub, the INS Chakra, leased from Russia in 1988.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 1998-2004
Conducts N-tests, enunciates nuclear doctrine which calls for a submarine-based second-strike capability. Reopens talks with Russia for N-sub lease to train crews and assistance on the reactor. Deal for leasing one Akula-2 N-sub signed.

Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh, 2004 till date
Supervises the final phase of ATV construction. Enlarges the N-sub programme with sanction for building of a new class of SSNs and SSBNs based on Russia’s Akula class for a projected fleet of 10 N-subs over the next 20 years.

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 24 Jul 2009 20:40

sunilUpa wrote: The Indian private sector was chosen to build the 104-metre-long prototype, dubbed S2. Larsen&Toubro (L&T) built the hull, Tata Power made the control systems and Walchandnagar Industries made the complex high pressure pumps and valves which carried saturated steam. The BARC had still not succeeded in perfecting the reactor so the Government decided to continue reactor development parallel to the construction of the first submarine.

S2 before S1 ??

How come ??

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 24 Jul 2009 20:47

Cybaru wrote:
sunilUpa wrote: The Indian private sector was chosen to build the 104-metre-long prototype, dubbed S2. Larsen&Toubro (L&T) built the hull, Tata Power made the control systems and Walchandnagar Industries made the complex high pressure pumps and valves which carried saturated steam. The BARC had still not succeeded in perfecting the reactor so the Government decided to continue reactor development parallel to the construction of the first submarine.
S2 before S1 ??

How come ??

Some years before I had read a quote from an Army General that our nuclear sub is already there or something like that. So may be that's the S1.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Jul 2009 20:50

I mean g*** f** rahi hai,

I too think the submerged and surfaced speed is interchanged. only WW2
era cigar hull subs had a greater surface speed and weak batteries. the albacore tuna/killer whale modern shape is optimized for submerged speed.

sum · Post by **sum** » 24 Jul 2009 21:05

Woah, the goosepimples on me have to be seen to be believed while i read that article!!!

AoA....Mera Bharat Mahaan.

In January 2004, India and Russia signed a secret $650-million intergovernmental agreement (IGA) for the completion and lease of one unfinished Akula class nuclear-powered attack submarine and training crews to man them.

So, only one Akula it is then( and not two).

prashanth · Post by **prashanth** » 24 Jul 2009 21:18

uddu wrote: Some years before I had read a quote from an Army General that our nuclear sub is already there or something like that. So may be that's the S1.

More likely S1 might be the charlie-1 or INS chakra.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Jul 2009 21:29

the specs of charlie class like speed in wikipedia match what IT is reporting.

eg.
The Charlie class was conceived for a mass production vessel which probably prompted the use of only one pressurized water cooled reactor and a five bladed propellor as the main propulsion instead of the ordinary two reactors and propellors. This meant that the Charlie class lacked speed which meant that they could not operate with high speed surface groups.

sum · Post by **sum** » 24 Jul 2009 21:37

Programme on Indian N-sub currently on in NDTV...catch it if you can.

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 24 Jul 2009 21:42

prashanth wrote:
uddu wrote: Some years before I had read a quote from an Army General that our nuclear sub is already there or something like that. So may be that's the S1.
More likely S1 might be the charlie-1 or INS chakra.

I have a feeling otherwise... We are unveiling since we are now confident of what we have. I suspect all niggles have been de-niggle-e-fied possibly on a S1.

vasu_ray · Post by **vasu_ray** » 24 Jul 2009 21:45

I think so too,

the S1 could be a naval research reactor that has undergone numerous changes overtime and stays on land while the S2 based on a design frozen at some point goes with the Arihant

S1 could have been running for a while which gives confidence on the S2

sum · Post by **sum** » 24 Jul 2009 21:48

sum wrote:Programme on Indian N-sub currently on in NDTV...catch it if you can.

Zilch info on the Arihant.

Was more of a panel discussion on what a N-sub is, differences between SSN/SSBN, comparison of PLAN, IN etc..nothing which BRFites don't know.

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 24 Jul 2009 21:57

The submarine will carry four of an under-development submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) ‘K-X’ with 3,500-km range, each with several warheads called multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs).

So K-X of only 3,500km range and MIRV is ab-initio version of Agni-3SL without the second stage. I.e. Agni-3SL's first stage and SUM stage along with MIRV payload.

A little gratified that length of the sub is 104 m versus my prediction of 105 m.

Vivek K · Post by **Vivek K** » 24 Jul 2009 22:03

The S1 may already be in the water. The S2 may also have been thoroughly tested before being shown to the world. Relax Gents. Trust our folks to come through.

vavinash · Post by **vavinash** » 24 Jul 2009 22:12

The specs that have been revealed look very very similar to Charlie-II SSGN. If the IT article is correct the the nuke reactor is basically a 70-90 MwT VM-4 reactor. Not sure how a 12 m long A-3Sl will fit into a 10 m dia sub later?? With the current specs and if K-15's can be replaced by sub launched cruise missiles it makes a decent SSN.