North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, after inspecting the country's first nuclear-powered submarine today, said the country’s sea defence capability will be fully displayed in any necessary waters without limitation.
With this 'first', now North Korea too joins a small group of countries that have nuclear-powered submarines. So, far there are only 6 countries in the world - The United States, Russia, China, The United Kingdom, France and India - Now, with its first, North Korea will be the seventh.
In September last year, India unveiled its second nuclear-powered submarine (INS Arighaat) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The domestically produced vessel is armed with ballistic missiles that have a striking range of 750 kilometers. Its two submarines, the first (INS Arihant) having been launched in 2009, give the country the ability to now launch nuclear weapons from land, air and sea. Launching the submarine, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that this new submarine would fortify India’s nuclear deterrence and play a decisive role in national security.
However, South China Morning Post had reported that India’s recent launch of its second nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine may have boosted its deterrence capabilities, but the country has a long way to go in closing the gap on China’s naval power.
Data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies' publication - The Military Balance as at the end of 2024 - shows that the U.S. has by far the largest nuclear-powered fleet worldwide with 66 nuclear-powered submarines. Russia has 31 nuclear-powered submarines, while China has 12 at the start of 2024. The United Kingdom has 9, France (6) and India has two.
Between September 2024 and now, India added two more to its fleet. Amidst de-escalation with China and a diplomatic spat with Canada, India has quitely launched its fourth indigenously built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, accordin to The Eur-Asian Times. The new one can launch nuclear-tipped missiles. The third submarine, INS Aridhaman, is expected to be commissioned in 2025.
The induction of INS Aridhaman will mean that India’s second-strike nuclear capability will be fully operationalised by next year. INS Aridhaman (Destroyer of Enemy) is equipped with K-4 submarine-launched missiles and can travel 3500 km.
INS Arihant and INS Arighat are armed with K-15 missiles with a range of 750 kilometers, limiting their strike capability. Even in a conflict with Pakistan, these missiles would only have targets within its range in the south of the country.
Nuclear-powered submarines do not necessarily mean nuclear-armed but those fuelled by a nuclear reactor rather than by diesel-electric propulsion. However, the powerful vessels are often also used for this purpose.
To bolster Australia’s naval defense amidst Western nations’ mounting anxiety over China’s military expansion, the U.S. has agreed to sell the country three U.S. Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines in the early 2030s, and two more at a later point if needed. Beijing criticised the move, saying it was encouraging an arms race. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin warned that the three countries are walking “further and further down the path of error and danger.” The Guardian reported that under the new so-called Aukus partnership, the UK too could see a considerable increase in its deep sea vessels.
Brazil will be another country acquiring nuclear-powered submarines in the future. It plans to start the construction of a first one this year as part of a partnership with France.