Also, cities in the Chinese mainland would remain outside the range of the missile even if the boat was at the north-eastern edge of the Bay of Bengal. Therefore, in the event of a crisis with Beijing, New Delhi would not have the option of threatening a nuclear attack on a target of consequence in China.

Therefore, India may have operationalised its triad, but the naval leg or the at-sea deterrent is not credible given the limited range of the missile it uses.

The next in the K-series of missiles, the intermediate-range K-4, is the solution. It will be the first of the four missiles to be tested this month.

With the 3,500-km range the K-4, INS Arihant and future SSBNs will be able to target parts of China, including Beijing, and all of Pakistan, from the northern parts of the Bay of Bengal. Not ideal, but better than the K-15.

The test, scheduled for 8 November, wouldn’t be the first launch of the K-4 missile. Testing began in 2010 from a submerged pontoon, and the missile was fired from INS Arihant in 2016 “in full operational configuration”.

However, this test of the K-4 is important because a recent launch, conducted from a submerged platform in December 2017, had ended in a failure.

While INS Arihant can carry four K-4 missiles, future Indian SSBNs will be capable of carrying at least eight K-4s or other long-range SLBMs.

The second missile to be tested this month will be the BrahMos. Two versions of the missile will be tested on 11 November, one from a land-based platform and the other from a fighter aircraft.

The BrahMos tests are significant for three reasons:

One, with the replacement of Russian systems with Indian-built components, the missile’s indigenous content has grown to 65 per cent. Among the most critical components that have replaced Russian systems is the missile’s seeker.

When India and Russia decided to develop the BrahMos, it was decided that India will supply the navigation system and fire control system and Russia was to provide the engine and seeker. India faced stiff resistance from Russia when it decided to replace the Russian system with an indigenous seeker.

The missile was tested with the indigenous seeker, which has been designed by BrahMos with Defence Research & Development Laboratory and made by Electronic Corporation, in March 2018. Most recently, in September, the missile was tested with indigenous booster, airframe and power supply.

Two, the air-launched BrahMos, which will be tested from Su-30 MKI, gives the Indian Air Force (IAF) a stand-off strike option. Su-30 MKIs armed with BrahMos can strike enemy targets from a distance sufficient to evade enemy fire, and in some cases from within Indian airspace or over international waters. (Read: Why Su-30 MKI Plus BrahMos Will Be A Potent Weapons Package)