S5-class submarine

An artistic impression of the S5-class submarine
Class overview
Operators	Indian Navy
Preceded by	Arihant class
Planned	4-6 [1]
General characteristics
Type	Nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine
Displacement	13,500 tonnes (13,300 long tons; 14,900 short tons) [1]
Propulsion	1 x CLWR-B2 Compact Light-water reactor [2] [3] 190 MW (250,000 hp) [1] 1 × single shaft pump-jet propulsor
Range	Unlimited
Armament	12-16 VLS cells for [4] [1] K-5 SLBM (5,000–6,000 km or 3,100–3,700 mi range) (or) K6 MIRV SLBM (8,000–9,000 km or 5,000–5,600 mi range)

S5 is the code name for a planned class of Indian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines currently being developed for the Indian Navy. S5 will weigh around twice as much as the preceding Arihant-class submarine. It is expected to start production by 2027. ^[5]

Design

The S5-class of submarines are planned to weigh around 13,500 tonnes (13,300 long tons; 14,900 short tons). ^[6] The submarines are planned to be armed with up to twelve or sixteen K6 Submarine-launched ballistic missiles, each armed with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. ^{[1] [4]}

Development

The Government of India made an assessment of India's capability to design and construct a class of three new ballistic missile submarines codenamed S5 in 2006 when it was realised that the reactor and payload capacity of the Arihant-class submarines was limited. These submarines were initially planned to be operational beginning in 2021 but were delayed. The delay prompted the Indian Government to sanction an additional Arihant-class submarine in 2012 to avoid the production line becoming idle. ^[1]

As of 4 December 2022, the S5-class submarine was to enter production by 2027. ^{[5] [7]}

As of September 2024, the design phase of the submarine was nearing completion and project sanction was expected soon. ^[8]

See also

• Arihant-class submarine
• Indian Navy SSN programme
• Future of the Indian Navy

References

1. Unnithan, Sandeep (10 December 2017). "A peek into India's top secret and costliest defence project, nuclear submarines". India Today . Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
2. "Founder's Day Speech, Director, BARC" (PDF). Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
3. "DAE (Excellence in Science, Engineering & Technology) Awards 2010" (PDF). BARC Newsletter (322): 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
4. "India's Undersea Deterrent". Saurav Jha . 30 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
5. "Much improved & bigger 3rd Generation S5 SSBN of the Indian Navy to enter production in 2027". IgMp. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
6. Pandit, Rajat (5 November 2018). "Nuclear submarine INS Arihant completes patrol, country's N-triad operational". The Times of India . Retrieved 19 January 2020.
7. "Amid China standoff, India set to boost naval power with 3rd N-sub in 6 months". The Times of India. 30 August 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 30 August 2024.
8. "India's S5 SSBN to Armed with 12 SLBM Launch Tubes, K5 Missile, and 190 MW Reactor". Defence.in. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.