India also leased a Charlie-I sub named the INS Chakra between 19 to gain experience in operating nuclear subs. Work though had started back in the 80s, with Soviet help, to build a nuclear powered hunter-killer sub. In fact the project was such a secret, that it wasn’t until July 2009, when it was actually launched, that it was even officially acknowledged to exist. India started building its first nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant, under the highly secretive ATV program. In comparison, China has a total of 67 submarines in its Navy.

And 15 isn’t the actual number of subs available for duty, because some of them are in ports for refits and maintenance. For a country with a coastline that measures more than 7,500 km, a fleet of 15 submarines is just not enough. India currently has 9 Sindhughosh class (Soviet Kilo class) and 4 Shishumar-class (German HDW Type 209) diesel electric subs and a single nuclear powered INS Chakra (Akula II class) sub. The current state of the Navy’s underwater fleet is, for lack of a better word, worrisome. These submarines are therefore just what India needs. And if India wants to be taken seriously on the world stage, it will have to start acting like a superpower, by being able to extend the country’s power across the globe. These SSBNs ensure that even though the land-based missiles and airplanes may have been taken out, the enemy is guaranteed a sending off that it will never forget. Erstwhile superpowers USA and Russia continue to use their SSBNs (ballistic missile submarines) to great effect, projecting their might even today. Lurking in the depths of the oceans, they move around without being detected and surface to launch the attack on the unsuspecting enemy. If you think about it, submarines are the perfect weapons. How does India intend to do this? Like any other superpower, India wants to use submarines. Which means, that though India will not initiate a nuclear conflict, if attacked it will retaliate with such ferocity, that it will wipe the enemy off the face of the map. India, for example, has declared a no-first-use of nuclear weapons. While it sounds easy in theory, building a nuclear doctrine with a working second strike capability is anything but.

In a nuclear conflict, one who strikes first may win the war, but one who strikes second makes sure there is no one left to celebrate the win. The most important thing about having nuclear weapons is a second strike capability.

Does a typhoon class submarine exist