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The recent commissioning of INS Aridhaman, the Indian Navy’s (Indian Navy) third indigenously designed Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), highlights India’s capability to develop advanced strategic underwater platforms, while still struggling to produce significantly less complex conventional diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) without overseas collaboration.

A cross-section of veteran and serving naval officers note that while India’s SSBN programme continues to advance – evident in the Arihant-class platform and the planned commissioning of a fourth, more advanced platform, codenamed S4*, likely to enter service around 2027-28 – this momentum sharply contrasts with the chronic stagnation of conventional SSK projects.

This steady progression in sea-based nuclear capability is central to completing and sustaining India’s nuclear triad, ensuring a survivable second-strike capability across land-, sea- and air-based delivery systems.

Against this backdrop, these officers argue that this divergence exposes a deeper systemic dysfunction, wherein the defence industrial ecosystem is capable of delivering high-end, strategically prioritised platforms, but struggles to produce routine, yet operationally essential, conventional SSKs.

In their assessment, “extraordinary” programmes like SSBNs, ballistic and cruise missile projects and other strategic systems have succeeded precisely because they were insulated, prioritised and backed by sustained political support – shielded from the Ministry of Defence’s cumbersome procurement procedures, shifting service requirements and the constant risk of bureaucratic or political disruption.

By contrast, SSK programmes have remained mired in procedural inertia, compounded by evolving operational demands and inconsistent long-term planning, leaving them vulnerable not only to capability gaps but also to protracted delays and even cancellation.

Former Indian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Arun Prakash offers a blunt explanation for this dysfunctionality. “India’s conservative defence establishment remains fundamentally risk-averse and unable to accept failure as part of the developmental process, regardless of the eventual outcomes”, he says.

In such an environment, he declares, procedural correctness is prioritised over results and any misstep – technical, financial or managerial – can trigger audits or investigations, creating a culture in which officials are disincentivised from taking bold decisions. Consequently, concerned officials, he added, tended to defer responsibility, routinely opting for proven foreign platforms over riskier, but desired indigenous SSK development.

‘Formula 1 to high-end SUV’

One Indian Navy submariner captured this divergence more dramatically, likening SSBN construction to locally engineering a Formula 1 race car and SSK production to building an advanced sports utility vehicle (SUV). “It is a staggering gap,” he says, requesting anonymity. “A system that can deliver a Formula 1 machine somehow stalls when asked to produce a high-end SUV – revealing an ecosystem capable of extraordinary feats under priority, but struggling with routine output amid procedural drag”, he adds.

This contrast reflects a broader structural reality: shielded by strategic prioritisation and sustained political backing, flagship programmes like the Arihant-class SSBNs have progressed steadily, with a fourth boat – codenamed S4* and likely to be commissioned as........

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