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India to Launch First Nuclear Submarine Base Aimed at Securing Second-Strike Capability.
Amid rising strategic competition with China in the Indian Ocean Region, India is preparing to take a major step forward in strengthening its naval capabilities. By 2026, New Delhi plans to commission a new naval base specifically designed to host nuclear submarines. Located near the village of Rambilli, approximately 50 kilometers south of the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, this installation—named INS Varsha—is a core element of the classified Project Varsha. It is intended to accommodate India’s expanding fleet of ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs), thus reinforcing the country’s sea-based second-strike nuclear capability.
INS Varsha is scheduled to become operational around the same time India commissions INS Aridhaman, its third SSBN, expected to enter service in 2025 (Picture source: Edited Army Recognition)
The upcoming base at Rambilli is a central component of India’s maritime strategy to extend its presence in the Bay of Bengal and across the wider Indo-Pacific region. It features high-security infrastructure, including underground pens for submarines, a tunnel network, and inner and outer harbor facilities. According to a report published by The Times of India on April 7, 2025, the inner harbor is already complete, while construction on the outer harbor—such as breakwaters and piers—is ongoing in preparation for full commissioning next year. The aim is to allow nuclear submarines to access deep waters discreetly while evading aerial or satellite detection, a crucial capability for the survivability of the naval component of India’s nuclear triad in the event of a preemptive disarmament strike.
The base will play a key role in enabling the operational deployment of India’s SSBNs, which constitute the undersea leg of its nuclear deterrent. Its strategic location on the eastern seaboard, combined with its proximity to nuclear research infrastructure at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Atchutapuram, provides swift access to critical maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Malacca. This enhances the Indian Navy’s responsiveness and range throughout the IOR. Additionally, INS Varsha is designed to support logistical coordination with the Eastern Naval Command and sustain extended submarine patrols. The base's development is part of a broader modernization of India’s naval infrastructure, alongside the expansion of the Karwar base on the western coast under Project Seabird.
INS Varsha is scheduled to become operational around the same time India commissions INS Aridhaman, its third SSBN, expected to enter service in 2025. Weighing approximately 7,000 tonnes, INS Aridhaman is slightly larger than its predecessors, INS Arihant and INS Arighat, and is equipped to carry a greater number of K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missiles with an estimated range of 3,500 kilometers. A fourth SSBN was launched in November 2024 with an indigenous content level of approximately 75 percent. Looking ahead, India plans to build larger SSBNs with displacements of 13,500 tonnes, powered by 190 MW pressurized light-water reactors—an upgrade from the 83 MW reactors currently in use—under the classified Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) program estimated at 900 billion rupees.
In parallel, India is also advancing its SSN program. In October 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the construction of two 9,800-tonne nuclear-powered attack submarines at a cost of 400 billion rupees, with a long-term goal of deploying six such vessels. Unlike SSBNs, which serve a nuclear deterrence role, SSNs are conventionally armed and intended for anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, and escorting carrier battle groups. These submarines will be built at the Ship Building Centre in Visakhapatnam, contributing not only to India's naval capabilities but also to regional industrial development, particularly for local small and medium enterprises.
Together, these initiatives reflect India’s steady but determined effort to build a credible undersea deterrent architecture capable of securing strategic maritime corridors and maintaining a presence in contested areas of the Indo-Pacific. Project Varsha, in synergy with western efforts under Project Seabird, marks a new phase in the evolution of India's submarine fleet. It is based on principles of survivability, stealth, and sustained sea-based operations.
India’s phased development of its nuclear submarine fleet and supporting infrastructure illustrates its intent to address growing regional security challenges while asserting its status as a strategic maritime power. INS Varsha, along with new SSBNs and SSNs, represents the foundation of a resilient, modern, and long-term sea-based defense posture.