BENGAL DEC 25 : India has successfully test-fired the nuclear-capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from nuclear-powered submarine INS Arighaat in the Bay of Bengal, significantly boosting the country’s sea-based nuclear deterrent, sources in the defence establishment said. The missile, with an estimated strike range of about 3,500 km, was launched under the operational control of the Strategic Forces Command off the Visakhapatnam coast.
This is the second test of the K-4 from INS Arighaat, following a previous launch last year, and is seen as a major step towards the system’s full operational deployment. Developed by DRDO, the solid-fuel K-4 is designed to arm India’s nuclear-powered submarines, giving the Navy a more credible second-strike capability compared to the shorter‑range K-15 missile deployed on INS Arihant.
INS Arighaat, commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 2024, is India’s latest 6,000-tonne nuclear-powered submarine equipped to carry K-4 missiles. While earlier K-4 trials were carried out from submersible pontoons, tests from an operational SSBN like Arighaat mark a critical advance in India’s strategic arsenal.
