Indian second strike capability,under gunned and underwhelming

[Safriz]

About K-4 , K-15 and Arihant submarine, it's a bit baffling.
Taking reference from the website most Indians consider reliable source the lightest and smallest diameter Indian nuclear warhead may be the one on Agni-1 which has a blast yield of 40-50 kt. That's the one most probably used on K-15.
https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/agni-1/
On the higher side ,the Agni-4 and Agni-5 warheads are 1-1.3 meters wide and 3 metes long. That's the warhead most probably used on K-4 and has a blast yield of 150 KT.

So an Arihant submarine armed with four K-4 will have a total destructive power of about 600 KT or four warheads of 150 KT each.
The same for an Arihant armed with twelve K-15
With twelve warheads of 50 KT each.
That's a very under gunned second strike capability of just 600 KT?
Neither K-4 or K-15 are MIRV capable as too narrow.

 

[Hassan Guy]

Better than ours.

We don't have a nuclear submarine with SLBM's.

 

[Safriz]

Better than ours.

We don't have a nuclear submarine or SLBM.

We do have SLCM and MIRV.

 

[Hassan Guy]

We do have SLCM and MIRV.

SLCM is not MIRV.

Land Based MIRV is for the 1st strike not 2nd.

 

[GR!FF!N]

That's why it's called "Baby Boomer".by the way,how you've estimated warhead these missiles will carry???50 kt and 150 kt??any source?

 

[Safriz]

SLCM is not MIRV.

Land Based MIRV is for the 1st strike not 2nd.

Shamefully enough Pekis like you always rubbish Pakistan to glorify your Bharat Mata.
The thread was about India not Pakistan. Its irrelevant if Pakistan has Sea based deterrent or not as India claims their sea based deterrent is about china .
So point is how much , less than a megaton of second-strike capability hurt China? Or even Pakistan?

 

[Hassan Guy]

Shamefully enough Pekis like you always rubbish Pakistan to glorify your Bharat Mata.
The thread was about India not Pakistan. Its irrelevant if Pakistan has Sea based deterrent or not as India claims their sea based deterrent is about china .
So point is how much less than a megaton of second-strike capability hurt China? Or even Pakistan?

All I pointed out was the Pakistan doesn't have a nuclear submarine with SLBM's. India does and it gives them an objectively better 2nd strike capability than Pakistan.

Thats it. My only point is we need to match that.

 

[Safriz]

Specially comparing with other countries fielding sea based second strike capabilities, Indian capability looks microscopic.
Ohio class carries 24 Trident II with 8 warhead each of 475 Kilotons each.
Per trident II yield is 475kt X 8 = 3.8 Mt
Per Ohio class sub it's 24 x 3.8 = 91.2 Mt

British Vanguard class sub carries 16 Trident II MIRV 8
That's 16 X 3.8 = 60.8 Megatons.

Also Sea based deterrent is very expensive.
Four vanguard class submarines with 16 Tridents onboard cost Britain 2 Billion £ an year to run and costed them 1500 Million £ per boat to build.

I am guessing India's Arihant Submarine and K series missiles won't come cheap either. But all this for 600 Kt?

 

[Hulk]

Specially comparing with other countries fielding sea based second strike capabilities, Indian capability looks microscopic.
Ohio class carries 24 Trident II with 8 warhead each of 475 Kilotons each.
Per trident II yield is 475kt X 8 = 3.8 Mt
Per Ohio class sub it's 24 x 3.8 = 91.2 Mt

British Vanguard class sub carries 16 Trident II MIRV 8
That's 16 X 3.8 = 60.8 Megatons.

Also Sea based deterrent is very expensive.
Four vanguard class submarines with 16 Tridents onboard cost Britain 2 Billion £ an year to run and costed them 1500 Million £ per boat to build.

I am guessing India's Arihant Submarine and K series missiles won't come cheap either. But all this for 600 Kt?

We have started once we get our grips things will increase in scale and capability.

 

[Mentee]

You don't have Submarines to fire SLCMs as Chinese subs won't arrive befire 2022.

We do have 3 Modified Augusta 90b's ---

 

[Ultima Thule]

We do have SLCM and MIRV.

We are working on SLBM and nuclear submarine, in future we will have both

 

[Safriz]

We have started once we get our grips things will increase in scale and capability.

Yes , but at least India could have matched something USA did 55 years ago.
USS George Washington was launched in 1958 and fitted with Polaria SLBM a few years later.
It was similar weight as Indian Arihant , around 6500 tons and carried quiet a few Polaris with MIRV 3.
Each Polaris had 3 warheads of 200 Kt each, total of 600 Kt per Polaris.
There were 16 Polaris per George Washington class submarine or 3MIRV x 200kt x 16 Polaris = 9.6 Megaton per submarine.

 

[BHarwana]

I have a point to add here. India cannot launch a nuke from a submarine.

 

[Ultima Thule]

Also NO MIRVs were tested in the Ababeel test.

How do know that it was NOT tested MIRV, just in your wet dream, ISPR clearly stated that it is used multiple warheads, Oh i forget it you are another fake and stupid Indian BM expert

I have a point to add here. India cannot launch a nuke from a submarine.

Now but tomorrow they will

 

[BHarwana]

Now but tomorrow they will

Not today nor tomorrow.
they don't have a tested compact warhead and they have signed a deal not to test any more nukes.