In May, China completed sea trials of its Fujian aircraft carrier weighing a whopping 80,000 metric tons. The PLA already has two active carriers — the 66,000-ton Shandong and the 60,000-ton Liaoning. “If any Chinese aircraft carrier comes close by, our nuclear submarine will serve as a deterrent because it can stay under water for close to a month.” There are two types of nuclear submarines, SSN and SSBN. SS stands for submersible ship; SSN is a nuclear-powered submarine; and SSBN is a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.India already has SSBNs. They made the country’s nuclear no-first use policy operational. SSNs have multiple mission utility like anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, besides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. SSBNs offer assured second strike in the event of a nuclear attack.India’s foray in the nuclear submarine domain began with the induction of INS Arihant. It is suitable for the policy of no-first use of nuclear weapons with maintenance of minimum credible deterrence, as part of the nuclear triad.
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