Q. With reference to Nuclear-powered Submarines of India, consider the following statements:
1. INS Chakra was the first Nuclear-powered Submarine of India.
2. India does not have a Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine or SSBN.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is correct: India has had Nuclear powered Submarine since it got the Soviet-built K-43 Charlie-class SSN in 1987. It was commissioned with the Red Fleet of the USSR in 1967, and it was leased to the Indian Navy. In India, it was rechristened INS Chakra. The submarine was decommissioned in 1991.
Statement 2 is incorrect: In the meantime, India was working on building its own SSN, and the first Indian nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, was commissioned in 2016. India also demonstrated the capability to launch nuclear weapons in 2018, the INS Arihant is now classified as a Strategic Strike Nuclear Submarine or SSBN. This is significant, as INS Arihant completes India’s nuclear triad.
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