Nuclear-capable K-4 ballistic missile tested from INS Arihant

New Delhi: The nuclear-capable submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) K-4 was test-fired from the nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant, both of which have been indigenously developed, officials said on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_1578999” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] INS Arihant. WikiMedia.[/caption] According to sources, the test was conducted on March 31 from the Arihant in the Bay of Bengal. The missile was fired from around 20 metres under water, and covered a distance of 700 km before hitting the target. The missile is capable of striking targets out to a distance of 3500 kms. Prior to that, a dummy was also test-fired from a pontoon on March 7, the sources said. Both the missile and the submarine have been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Arihant, the lead ship of India’s Arihant-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), has been designed based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarines. The DRDO was, however, tight-lipped over the test. The K-4 is part of the K-family of missiles, a series of SLBMs named after former president and scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The missile was developed specifically for the Arihant, as the nuclear capable Agni-III could not be compacted to fit in the submarine. Arihant has a 17 metre diameter hull, with four vertical launch tubes, which can carry 12 (three per launch tube) smaller K-15 missiles or four larger K-4 missiles. The vessel is powered by an 83 megawatt (111,305 hp) pressurised light-water reactor fueled with highly-enriched uranium.