India Accelerates Expansion of Both Traditional and Nuclear-Capable Submarine Forces

Summary

India has quietly commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), the INS Aridhaman, which represents a significant advancement in the country's sea-based nuclear deterrence capabilities, featuring double the missile capacity of its predecessors and the ability to carry longer-range missiles. Defense experts emphasize that having three SSBNs is strategically critical for India, as it finally allows the nation to maintain continuous at-sea nuclear deterrence, which is essential for a credible second-strike capability under India's no-first-use nuclear policy. Simultaneously, India is on the verge of finalizing an approximately $8 billion agreement with German shipbuilder TKMS to procure six advanced Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) conventional submarines, which would be built in India through a partnership with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and would mark the first-ever transfer of German submarine technology outside Europe. These developments are largely driven by growing concerns over China's expanding naval presence in the Indian Ocean region, as Beijing operates over sixty submarines and continues rapidly increasing its nuclear submarine production. Beyond submarines, India is also broadly accelerating its overall naval modernization, having inducted a new stealth frigate and planning to commission a record fifteen warships in 2025 alone.