India's nuclear submarine Arihant flagged off for sea trials

India’s first indigenous nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant was today flagged off for sea trials from Visakhapatnam harbour by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. INS Arihant, the first in the series of nuclear-powered submarines being manufactured indigenously, is a 6,000-tonne vessel powered by 83 MW pressurised light water reactor, Defence Ministry sources said. [caption id=“attachment_1851187” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  INS Arihant. WikiMedia[/caption] Once inducted, the submarine will help the country complete its nuclear triad giving it the capability to respond to nuclear strikes from sea, land and air-based systems. Nuclear triad is the ability to fire nuclear-tipped missiles from land, air and sea-based weapon platforms. Arihant will help India achieve the capability of going into high seas without the need to surface the vessel for a long duration. The submarine achieved a major milestone when its nuclear reactor went critical on August 10, last year. The vessel is capable of launching nuclear-capable ballistic missile BO-5 which has a range of 700 kms, according to DRDO sources. PTI