Launch of the INS Arihant

This post goes as a tribute to all the engineers and personnel who have completed India's nuclear triad - it's capability of launching nukes from the air, land and the sea. Though much is left to do, like seeing to it that the onboard nuclear reactor achieves criticality, officialy India is the fifth power with the capability of launching nuclear submarines with today's launch.

Fig. INS Chakra (Charlie -1). INS Arihant is said to be a copy of this sub

But having arms, is completely different from having the will to use them. We have a plan of only 5 nuclear subs. In comparison, China already has 10 nuclear subs. The U.S. has 18, U.K. has 4, France has 4 and Russia has 15. It is a wonder why we never aim to be the best, and always aim to be in between. And when we develop enough, would we use them? With current trends in Indian foreign policy, it doesn't seem so.

There is one more factor. The K-15 missiles that will be the major payload of our submarine has a range of only 750 kilometers and the K-X missiles planned for the future have a payload of about 3500 kilometers. This is nowhere in comparison to the SLBMs of other powers. We still have a long way to go.

But for the moment, we can take rest, since war with major powers is not in the offing and pop the bubbly. This is also a fair tribute to the jawans who laid their lives for Kargil war 10 years ago. This is also in the line of Krishna telling Arjun during the latter's time in the jungle to go in the search of Divyashtra for the war, that whether or not weapons are to be used in a war, a Kshatriya must possess all kinds of weapons.

May we grow so powerful, that some Indian PM in the future roar the following words from the Gita.

Chapter 11 - 32

श्री-भगवान उवाचा
कालो ’समी लोक-कस्य-करत प्रव्र्द्धो
लोकन समहर्तुम इह प्रवर्ततः
रते ’पि त्वं न भाविस्यन्ति सर्वे
ये ’वस्थितः प्रत्यानिकेसू योधाः।

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pandavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain."