India has activated the nuclear reactor aboard the INS Arihant, the country’s first indigenously designed and built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. The activation now means the submarine can undergo sea trials.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the development as "a giant stride in the progress of India’s indigenous technological capabilities" and said he hoped to see the submarine commissioned soon.
India unveiled the 6,000-ton submarine in 2009 as part of a project to build five such vessels which can be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles and torpedoes.
According to defence officials, Arihant is powered by an 85-megawatt nuclear reactor and can reach 44 kilometers an hour. It will carry a 95-member crew.
Media said nuclear submarine will add a third dimension to India’s defence capability, as it has previously only been able to launch ballistic missiles from the air and land.
Assuming its sea trials are completed successfully, the new nuclear-powered submarine could become operational within the next two years.