Planned class of Ballistic missile submarines
 An artistic impression of the S5-class submarine
|
| Class overview |
|---|
| Operators |  Indian Navy |
| Preceded by | Arihant class |
| Planned | 3[1] |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Type | Nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement | 13,500 tonnes (13,300 long tons; 14,900 short tons)[1] |
| Propulsion | |
| Range | Unlimited |
| Armament | 12-16 × K6 MIRVed SLBM (10,000 km (6,200 mi) to 12,000 km (7,500 mi) range) or K-5 SLBM (5,000–6,000 km or 3,100–3,700 mi range)[4][1] |
S5 is the code name for a planned class of Indian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines currently being developed for Indian Navy. S5 will weigh around twice as much as the preceding Arihant-class submarine. It is expected to start production by 2022.[1][5]
Design
The S5-class of submarines are planned to weigh around 13,500 tonnes (13,300 long tons; 14,900 short tons).[5] They are planned to be armed with up to twelve or sixteen K6 Submarine-launched ballistic missiles, each armed with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles.[1][4]
Development
The Government of India made an assessment of India's capability to design and construct a class of three new ballistic missile submarines codenamed S5 in 2006 when it was realised that the reactor and payload capacity of the Arihant-class submarines was limited. These submarines were initially planned to be operationalised beginning in 2021 but were later delayed. This delay had prompted the Indian Government to sanction an additional Arihant-class submarine in 2012 to avoid the idling of the production line.[1]
As per reports on 4 December, 2022, S5-class submarine is to enter production by the year 2027.[6]
