India to commission third nuclear ballistic submarine INS Aridaman 'very soon': Navy chief

INS Aridaman is the second upgraded Arihant-class SSBN to enter service after INS Arighaat, commissioned in August 2024. India’s first SSBN, INS Arihant, joined the fleet in 2016.

India’s third indigenously built nuclear ballistic submarine, INS Aridaman, will be commissioned “very soon”, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said on Tuesday, according to ANI. The move marks a major expansion of India’s sea-based nuclear deterrent.

INS Aridaman is the second upgraded Arihant-class SSBN to enter service after INS Arighaat, commissioned in August 2024. India’s first SSBN, INS Arihant, joined the fleet in 2016.

What the Navy said

Admiral Tripathi said the SSBN additions 'further strengthen India’s nuclear triad' and reinforce strategic stability in the region, ANI reported. He highlighted significant cooperation with foreign navies guided by PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Mahasagar’ vision.

The Navy conducted 21 bilateral, 9 multilateral, and 34 maritime partnership exercises since the last Navy Day, along with maiden initiatives including the Africa-India maritime engagement in Tanzania.

Vice Admiral K Swaminathan, also speaking at the briefing, said the Navy had monitored Pakistan’s recent P282 missile test. “We were already aware… we watched the whole launch and its capabilities,” he said, adding India believes the missile is not fully indigenous “but if they say so, let’s believe it”.

On Bangladesh, he noted “good cooperation” and said he does not see “any reason why Bangladesh would turn hostile to India”.

What sets Aridaman apart

Aridaman, like Arighaat, incorporates advanced indigenous systems, many conceptualised, designed and integrated by Indian scientists, industry and naval teams. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier said the Arighaat programme involved complex engineering, specialised materials and cutting-edge R&D, signalling a maturing domestic nuclear-submarine ecosystem.

India’s SSBN capability has expanded significantly over the past decade. With Aridaman entering service, India will operate three nuclear ballistic submarines, a fleet size matched only by a handful of countries.