The Indian Navy is all set to join the global elite club on Sunday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally launches the indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant at the naval dockyard of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.
Prime Minister will arrive at the ENC's airbase INS Dega in Visakhapatnam by a special Indian Air Force plane along with his wife at 11 am and drive straight to the naval dockyard to commission INS Arihant into the sea.
The 6000-tonne submarine will first be put on sea trials for two years before being commissioned into full service. In the two years, the submarine will also undergo harbour trials of its nuclear reactor and other systems. The launch of the submarine coincides with the Vijay Diwas -- marking India's triumph over Pakistani intruders in Kargil. With the launch of the submarine, India will join the exclusive club of United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom with similar capabilities.
The ENC headquarters in Visakhapatnam has been decked up for this historic event, Navy sources said. INS Arihant has been built under the Advanced Technology Vessels Programme at a cost of $2.9 billion at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
India previously used a leased Russian-built nuclear submarine INS Chakra under then Captain R N Ganesh from January 1988 to January 1991. The ATV will give India the additional power of a nuclear weapon strike from the sea, apart from surface and air which it currently possesses.
The ATV has been developed jointly by the Indian Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation. The nuclear reactor of the submarine has reportedly been developed at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, while the vessel is based on the Russian Akula-I class submarine.
Meanwhile, tight security arrangements are being put in place in Visakhapatnam for the prime minister's visit.
Union Defence Minister A K Anthony, Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and a host of defence officials will be also present during the launch.
