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India Defence Research and Development Organisation
Arihant class
India's first indigenously built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, giving India a sea-based leg of its nuclear triad. Developed under the classified Advanced Technology Vessel program with Russian design assistance for the reactor.
In service since 2016 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
24
kn
6,000
t
95
crew
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to India export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2016. Status: active · ~2 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- VLS cells
Vertical-launch missile cells on a warship — a proxy for magazine depth. Higher means more missiles before rearming.
- 12 Stronger than 38% of submarines
- Torpedo tubes
Number of torpedo tubes (submarines and some surface ships).
- 6 Stronger than 53% of submarines
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 111 m
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 2 Stronger than 16% of submarines
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 39% of submarines
Specifications compiled from public Defence Research and Development Organisation and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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Rubin Design Bureau Borei-class Frequently asked questions
What is the Defence Research and Development Organisation Arihant class used for? +
The Defence Research and Development Organisation Arihant class is a submarine typically used for deep strike.
How many countries operate the Defence Research and Development Organisation Arihant class? +
The Defence Research and Development Organisation Arihant class is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Defence Research and Development Organisation Arihant class cost? +
Defence Research and Development Organisation Arihant class: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
