Article Posted on : - Apr 01, 2012

An unrelated file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): With India set to induct the Russian 'Nerpa' nuclear submarine next week, DRDO has said that INS Arihant -- the country's indigenous nuclear underwater vessel, would be launched for operations in the near future.

"INS Arihant is in advanced stages. It will be ready for operations in next few months... It (the nuclear reactor) is not critical yet," the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chief V K Sarswat told a press conference here on Saturday.

The Nerpa has been taken on lease from Russia for 10 years and would provide the Indian Navy the opportunity to train and operate such nuclear-powered vessels.

India is also working to develop the arsenal for Arihant as it has already carried out more than 10 test launches of the K-15 missile (also known as Sagarika) in the Bay of Bengal.

"K-15 has undergone two trials recently. It is in the final phases of development and is getting ready towards induction... more than ten trials have been carried out so far," Saraswat said.

The DRDO chief said the research body has entered into collaborations with countries including the UK, Brazil, Belarus and Germany for research and development work.