Austinji,
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm ........
does any one here seriously think they will need any feedback from Arihant design ?
My feel is that both nations had the same problem to solve: how do we put a tallish missile in a sub with limited diameter - without making the entire sub's diameter greater to accommodate the larger missile?
The normal design of powerpack -> sail -> missile bay would have made the sub front heavy or forced an increase in dia throughout the sub. The natural solution is to make the center house missiles - thus greater than the normal diameter of the sub in the middle, thus powerpack -> missile bay -> sail.
This evolutionary design could have come from anyone - I am in fact suggesting that it came from a group that was not brainwashed by 100 years of sub design.
And, WRT, size diff, that is normal.
In fact, I am more curious to see the design of the next two Arihant class subs - rumored to be larger than this one. I would not at all be surprised to see the first two to be closer to the Borei and perhaps if the next two are even larger, they just may be fairly close to it. BUT, I am fairly confident that the Indian subs would be Indian designs. The similarities would be just coincidental. Just a gut feel.
BTW, the
Borei (nice set of pics) does look cute - very clean lines. Seems like two 5000 ton subs have been connected by a missile bay.