Indian navy tests 3,500 kilometre range nuclear capable ballistic missile from INS Arighaat

This was the first test of the K-4 missile from the INS Arighaat and is India's one of the most ambitious test of a long range missile.

The freshly commissioned nuclear-powered submarine INS Arighaat has reportedly successfully tested India’s nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The test was carried out in the Bay of Bengal on the 27th of November morning off the coast of Visakhapatnam.

The submarine, weighing 6,000 tons, launched the solid-fueled, 3,500-kilometer-range K-4 missile. According to reports, there was no official announcement regarding development, however, the sources disclosed that the 6,000-ton INS Arighaat was used to test the solid-fueled K-4 missile.

Submersible pontoons have been the only platform used to test the K-4 in recent years. According to the sources, a thorough examination of the test results will reveal whether the missile launch was successful and satisfied the established trial’s goals and specifications.

“The test of the ballistic missile was done for the full range. The details are being analysed and the top military and political brass would be briefed by officials concerned on the exact details after complete analysis,” the defense sources added.

This was the first test of the K-4 missile from the INS Arighaat and is India’s one of the most ambitious test of a long range missile which transpired across the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.

An intermediate-range missile test over a 3,490-kilometer flight corridor in the Bay of Bengal between 27th and 30th November was the subject of a public area warning and notice to airmen (NOTAM) that India issued a few days ago. On 29th August, INS Arighaat, the nation’s second nuclear-powered submarine equipped with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles (referred to as SSBN in navy jargon), was put into service. The submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy in August.

Unlike her predecessor, the INS Arihant, which was equipped with K-15 missiles with a range of only 750 kilometers, the submarine is capable of carrying K-4 missiles. India intends to launch INS Aridhaman, the third SSBN with a 7,000-ton displacement, early in the upcoming year. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) authorized the building of two additional nuclear-powered attack submarines last month in an effort to increase India’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) developed the K-4 missile to equip the nation’s nuclear-powered submarines. SLBMs with a range of over 5,000 kilometers are already in use in nations including the US, Russia, and China.