NewsGate Press Network

It is reliably learned that INS Arighaat fire tested K4 ballistic missile from the undersea operation somewhere in the Bay of Bengal near the Port of Visakhapatnam on Tuesday last making it yet another red letter day for the Navy.

The missile test was carried out under the operation control of Strategic Forces Command, sources said.

It is India’s number one submarine launched strategic missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons and hitting targets at a distance of 3,500 kms.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is yet to formally issue a statement while reliable information suggests that tests was a grand success.

This was the second test firing from INS Arighaat following the first launch that took place earlier last year.

K4 Missile is developed by the DRDO, the Defence Research and Development Organisation and is based on Agni-III design.

It may be recalled that the K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 29 August, 2024, and that makes the India Navy into a very select group of countries having sub-sea ballistic launch capabilities including nuclear missiles.

To understand in simple words, ballistic missiles when launched from the depths of sea by a submarine is fired like a fast torpedo in a safe bubble case then ignites the moment it comes into contact with air on the sea surface – only to then penetrate the atmosphere.

The ‘K-series’ missile programme is a tribute to APJ Abdul Kalam, the missile man of India whose leadership role in the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program is the mainstay for the country’s nuclear deterrent roadmap.