Topic: ballistic nuclear missile

This is transcript of Cut The Clutter episode that examines India’s commissioning of its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Aridhaman, and how it strengthens the country’s nuclear triad and second-strike capability.

Sanctions had first been imposed on the NDC in 1998 by Bill Clinton. And they were waived after 9/11 to enable counter-terrorism cooperation with Pakistan.

While India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC) operates INS Arihant with a K-15 SLBM, its range is only 750 km. K-4 has a range of nearly 3,500 km.

While India could have only covered certain parts of Pakistan with K-15, K-4 enables it to have wider range covering not just whole of Pakistan but also large part of China.

Pakistan reportedly has 170 nuclear warheads. US State Dept claims firms were 'materially contributing to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery’.

The parade included North Korea’s latest Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missiles which are believed to have range to strike targets anywhere in US.

Agni Prime can be manoeuvred at the point of entry into the earth’s atmosphere, a feature that is usually not available in a ballistic missile.