INS Arihant to take long time to become operational

India's first nuclear-powered submarine launched on Sunday will take much longer than the projected two years to become operational, according to naval experts, who say the real big test now is to ensure that the on-board reactor attains criticality. Noting there is still lot left to do, the experts said scientists had a onerous task to see that the on-board nuclear reactor - the heart of the submarine - attains criticality without any hitches. Naval officials said INS Arihant (Destroyer of Enemies) codenamed Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) will undergo two years of sea trials in the Bay of Bengal after which they hope to see the submarine commissioned for full service. "It is little optimistic only for one reasons because it the first of its class. In the first of the class there are a large number of checks to be carried out. It could take much longer time frame than the two years being projected (for INS Arihant)," said Vice Admiral A K Singh(retd) former Captain of INS Chakra, the Charlie-class nuclear submarine. The second ATV or the third ATV will definitely come out much faster, Singh said. C Uday Bhaskar, Director, National Maritime Foundation, said, " I don't think we should over-interpret the capability of the Arihant at this stage because there are many more complex technological steps before the particular nuclear reactor on the Arihant acquires criticality." Bhaskar said hopefully three to five years down the road India would be a credible naval power because the country would then have the capability to fit the submarine with nuclear propulsion. Former Naval Chief Admiral (retd) Arun Prakash said a lot of work lies ahead for the country's scientists and engineers. "The big day will however come when the nuclear reactor attains criticality," he said. Admiral (retd) Arun Prakash said painstaking series of trials are necessary because even a minor malfunction can cause catastrophic results as the Kursk(Russian Submarine) accident showed. "They will also be long drawn-out and time-consuming because each defect that appears will be carefully analysed and rectified," he said. Experts also said the state-owned Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) could take two to three years to indigenously develop cruise and ballistic missiles which can be fired from the submarine. Russia’s ambassador to India and Russian technologists associated with India’s nuclear submarine programme are present here. Their contribution is richly acknowledged.“We never had a nuclear submarine, and we needed design consultancy from them,” Vice Admiral Kannan says. The Arihant has about 40 per cent indigenous content. The next two submarines of the same class that are planned are likely to have more.

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