Bored with fighter aircraft and missiles? What do you get if you are a country with just about everything?

How about your very own shiny new submarine to carry your nuclear missiles… What do you mean Not Got One Yet?

Well now ya ‘ave, sunshine. India’s first home-made nuclear powered missile submarine, INS Arihant (‘Destroyer of Enemies’) was launched today (Sunday July 26) at Visakhapatnam by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife.

The previous one, INS Chakra, (pictured) the first nuclear submarine to serve with the Indian Navy, was a Charlie I class attack submarine but was only leased from the Soviet Union. This one is a Charlie II knockoff.

The launch date marks the tenth anniversary of the conclusion of the 1999 Kargil War.

The launch will involve floating the submarine in a completely-enclosed dry-dock called the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam. Later the submarine will be towed out to an enclosed pier for its harbour trials. The submarine is expected to stay in the enclosed dock possibly for several months as its nuclear power plant is started and tested. It will then cruise into the Bay of Bengal for sea trials.

The ATV reportedly is equipped with 12 launch tubes of 2.4m diameter each. Initially, each missile tube will likely accommodate 3 0.74m diameter K-15 Saagrika missile. Later the tubes could accommodate the 2.0m diameter Agni IIISL (The submarine launched version of the Agni V / Agni 3+) missiles with MIRV capability. At 5,500 tons it needs 100 crew to lurk effectively whilst waiting for the order to flatten Pakistan.

If all goes well, it will take between two to three years for the submarine to be commissioned into the Navy. It’s the first of 5 submarines costing $2.9 billian which have been delayed for years due to technical problems.

India has 16 diesel-electric submarines of Russian and German origin, which are all 25-40 years oldThe hull diameter matches that of the Charlie II class submarine on which Arihant’s design is based after technical help from Russia.

Combined with buying a ship that is being converted into aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya by the Russians for $2.8 billion for delivery in 2012, the Indian Navy will have (unlike us) a reasonable chance of not getting turned over by the Swiss coastguard patrol boat fleet.