India’s first nuclear submarine, INS Arihant , which set out to the sea for trials in Visakhapatnam on Monday, will be ready for induction in about a year, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said here on Tuesday.
On speculation that India was negotiating the lease of a second nuclear submarine with Russia, he indicated that India was interested in getting one for training purposes.
India had earlier acquired INS Chakra , an Akula-class nuclear attack submarine, from Russia in 2012 on a 10-year lease.
It has been an important platform for training personnel in handling India’s own nuclear submarines in future.
Expressing confidence in the country’s ability to tackle crises such as the Sydney hostage episode, Mr. Parrikar said, “I think we are improving and definitely much better than probably what we were prepared in the earlier years. So, ultimately it comes with situation, each situation differs. But I think we are quite well prepared.”
Earlier, he paid homage at the Amar Jawan Jyoti here on Tuesday on the occasion of Vijay Diwas commemorating the war of liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
