Arihant class
Arihant class is a nuclear-powered submarine operated by Indian Navy, powered by Indian PWR of about 83 MWt. Operating.
India's indigenous ballistic missile submarine, launched 2009 and commissioned 2016. Thirteen fuel assemblies of 348 rods each, at 40% enrichment, another point on the spectrum between the French and American approaches.
| Reactor | Indian PWR |
|---|---|
| Reactors per vessel | 1 |
| Thermal output | 83MWt |
| Fuel enrichment | 40% U-235HEU |
| Refuelling | not disclosed |
| Category | submarine |
|---|---|
| Role | SSBN |
| Operator | Indian Navy |
| Country | India |
| Vessels in class | not stated |
| In service from | 2016 |
| Status | Operating |
Other submarines
| Class | Enrichment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AUKUS submarines | HEU | Planned |
| Akula class | - | Operating |
| Alfa class | HEU | Retired |
| Astute class | HEU | Operating |
| Borei class | HALEU | Operating |
| Columbia class | HEU | Under construction |
| Dreadnought class | HEU | Under construction |
| Han class (Type 091) | - | Operating |
| Le Triomphant class | LEU | Operating |
| Los Angeles class | HEU | Operating |
| Ohio class | HEU | Operating |
| Oscar II class | - | Operating |
| Seawolf class | HEU | Operating |
| Suffren class (Barracuda) | LEU | Operating |
| Type 093 and 094 (Shang and Jin) | LEU | Operating |
| Typhoon class | - | Retired |
| USS Nautilus | HEU | Retired |
| Vanguard class | - | Operating |
| Virginia class | HEU | Operating |
| Xia class (Type 092) | - | Retired |
| Yasen class | HALEU | Operating |
Arihant class in context
It is one of 22 submarine programs on record, 15 of them operating and 4 retired.
Each of its reactors is rated about 83 MWt; across the 19 submarine programs with a stated rating the median is 165 MWt, and this one ranks 16th.
Its fuel is recorded as HEU, the same as 10 of the other 15 submarine programs with a stated enrichment class.
It entered service in 2016, 10 years ago; the submarine programs on record entered service between 1955 and 2020, and this one is the 16th earliest of 17.
| Measure | Arihant class | Median of submarine programs | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal power per reactor (MWt) | 83 | 165 | 16 of 19 |
| Entered service | 2016 | 1997 | 16 of 17 (earliest first) |
Worked out from the entries on this site only, so a figure compares Arihant class with what is recorded here, not with everything that exists. An entry with no value for a measure is left out of that measure's ranking and median.
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Nuclear-Powered Ships · retrieved 2026-09-07
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data