RAS question
INS Arihant, India's first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, belongs to which class?
Correct answer: (A) Arihant class (SSBN).
INS Arihant belongs to the Arihant class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, or SSBNs.
Explanation
INS Arihant is India's first indigenous nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, commissioned in 2016 and built under the Advanced Technology Vessel project at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam. The classification matters because Arihant is not just a submarine name; it marks India's SSBN line. The PIB's 2024 Ministry of Defence release describes INS Arighaat as the second Arihant-Class submarine and calls Arihant its predecessor, which confirms that Arihant belongs to the Arihant class. The same official framing links these submarines to India's nuclear triad and nuclear deterrence. Arihant carries K-15 Sagarika submarine-launched ballistic missiles, giving India the sea-based leg of land, air and sea nuclear deterrence.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Sindhughosh class refers to older Russian-origin conventional submarines, whereas INS Arihant is an indigenous nuclear-powered SSBN.
- (C) Scorpene or Kalvari-class submarines are conventional diesel-electric submarines, not nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines like Arihant.
- (D) Akula class refers to Russian attack submarines leased to India as INS Chakra, not to the Arihant SSBN line.
Concept
This tests defence technology under Science and Technology, especially the difference between conventional submarines, attack submarines and SSBNs. It recurs in RAS because INS Arihant is tied to India's indigenous defence capability and the nuclear triad.