India launched its first nuclear-powered submarine on Sunday. The vessel will be armed with torpedoes and ballistic missiles and carry a 95-strong crew.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was, "an historic moment in the country's defence preparedness". The 112-metre submarine, named Arihant or Destroyer of Enemies, will undergo two years of sea trials in the Bay of Bengal before being fully commissioned.

The Indian government says the Arihant is the first of five nuclear-power submarines. It was built entirely in India with Russian assistance. India is now the sixth country in the world with nuclear submarines; the other five are China, France, Great Britain, Russia and the United States.