Reportedly, special nuclear submarine of the new generation project 09851 “Khabarovsk” will be the standard carrier of nuclear unmanned underwater vehicles “Poseidon.” It is planned that the submarine will be launched in the next two months, after which two years will be tested to ensure the integration of submarine and unmanned underwater vehicle. Nuclear torpedo “Poseidon” uses of nuclear energy, can carry nuclear warheads and has a great strategic destructive force. Currently, the modernization of the first special submarine carrier “Belgorod” was completed, and it will be equipped with nuclear torpedoes “Poseidon” to pass the test to prepare for the integration of the system and the atomic submarine “Khabarovsk”.
Strategic nuclear torpedo huge power
March 1, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin in his annual address to the Federal Assembly stated that Russia is developing an unmanned underwater vehicle that can travel in deep water over long distances, crossing continents and to develop a speed several times greater than submarines, torpedoes and various warships. He noted that this unmanned underwater vehicle may be equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads, capable of destroying different types of targets, including aircraft carrier strike groups. According to Putin, the world is watching how Russia is developing strategic special nuclear torpedo.
In fact, in 2015 the torpedo heavy equipment appeared on a series of images published by the Russian Ministry of defence. At the time, Russian media called this nuclear torpedo unmanned underwater vehicle. Gradually the world learned that this weapon was the predecessor of the nuclear torpedoes “Poseidon.” Although the Russian was always called “Poseidon” unmanned underwater vehicle, in fact it is a controlled nuclear torpedo.
The so-called nuclear torpedo is a torpedo with a warhead that uses a nuclear warhead. During the cold war the U.S. and the Soviet Union was armed with nuclear torpedoes. For example, a nuclear torpedo Mark 45, developed by the United States for use in anti-submarine operations, and the nuclear torpedo T-5, developed by the Soviet Union. October 10, 1957, the Soviet Union tested a nuclear torpedo T-5 in the Arctic ocean at the test site of the island of New Earth, a TNT equivalent charge was 10 kilotons. The torpedo exploded at a depth of 30 metres, sinking 2 destroyers, 2 submarines and 2 minesweepers and other small craft.
After a nuclear torpedo T-5, the Soviet Union planned to develop a strategic nuclear torpedo T-15 and equip it “Tsar bomb” with a capacity of 100 megatons of TNT (later changed to 50 megatons). For this type of nuclear bomb was tested in a half-charge. Because of the complexity of development and the fact that “Tsar bomb” was not adopted, the draft strategic nuclear torpedo T-15 was eventually scrapped. However, in a sense, nuclear torpedo “Poseidon” is a “close relative” of strategic nuclear torpedo T-15, both shells belong to a type of Intercontinental nuclear torpedoes.
Based on the assumption that the nuclear torpedo “Poseidon” has a diameter of 1.5 meters and length of over 20 meters and its shape is close to strategic nuclear torpedo T-15, she will be able to carry a nuclear warhead capacity of 200 megatons. Since the purpose of the torpedoes — the application of Intercontinental strikes, she uses nuclear energy to provide the possibility of overcoming on the Intercontinental areas, and the implementation of strikes around the globe. In addition, the Russian open sources have cited information that the maximum depth of the use of nuclear torpedoes “Poseidon” is more than 1000 meters, and the speed reaches more than 100 nodes, so it will be used mainly for the destruction of important strategic objectives, such as coastal naval bases of the enemy and carrier strike group.
Special submarine carrier
Leaked information that the nuclear torpedo “Poseidon” will be delivered to the Russian Navy in the framework of the existing Russian “State armaments program for the years 2018-2027,” but her means of transport is not developed nuclear submarine of the fifth generation. Which submarine will be used for the carriage and launching of a giant torpedo?
In fact, the development of a special submarine to equip nuclear torpedoes “Poseidon” started in late 2012. Based on the unfinished submarine 949A Russian army modified the special submarine “Belgorod” and set it in the water in April 2019. Submarine “Belgorod” took the shot from a submarine 949A cult launchers anti-ship missiles “Granit”, increasing up to 30 meters section of the compartment. The lower part of the compartment can be docked with the deep sea submarine, as well as to equip the chamber for the pressure balance at the entrance and exit of divers designed for deep-sea military operations and rescue missions. On both sides of the front of this compartment has three large torpedo, which, as expected, and are nuclear torpedo tubes “Poseidon.” Torpedo with a diameter of 650 mm and 533 mm on the bow of the ship represent the torpedo tubes of a submarine-defense. With the addition of this compartment overall length “Belgorod” has increased from 154 metres to 184 metres, making it the longest submarine in the world today.
In addition to the upgraded “Belgorod”, Russia also has specially designed nuclear submarine 09851 “Khabarovsk” as a carrier of nuclear torpedoes “Poseidon.” This nuclear submarine is much smaller in size than “Belgorod”, appearance it resembles a nuclear submarine-the carrier of strategic ballistic missiles project 955. Total displacement is only about 10 thousand tons, the design speed of 32 knots and maximum immersion depth of 500 metres. The construction of the “Khabarovsk” began on July 27, 2014, and is expected to be launched in may this year. The submarine project is still in a state of secrecy, but surely this will be the first nuclear-powered submarine that uses nuclear torpedo “Poseidon” as the main attacking weapon.
The attacking model, which is hard to resist
From the point of view design ideas, the combination of large nuclear submarines and strategic nuclear torpedoes, a new generation system for underwater strategic nuclear weapons in Russia. As in recent years, the United States has constantly strengthen its missile defense system, the question of how to get around anti-aircraft missiles in time of war and to inflict a retaliatory nuclear strikes, acute for the Russian military. Underwater nuclear torpedoes, obviously, are the “new way” attack.
Nuclear torpedo “Poseidon” as a strategic weapon has a range of more than 10 thousand kilometers and can carry Intercontinental strike mission. Theoretically, it has a strong strategic deterrent, but during the Intercontinental strike missions they need dozens of hours to achieve your goals, so the duration and range of ways to significantly increase the risk of interception. In addition, the torpedo uses supercavitation technology and the noise of the moving weapons is huge: at the bottom of the Pacific and Atlantic ocean, covered with anti-submarine sonars, she has almost no possibility to escape. However, this seemingly “inferior to another” attack method can be used in a real fight. The reason is that a large part of the path of the torpedo is at a depth of below 1000 metres. This depth of conventional submarines and anti-submarine torpedoes can’t reach, so they had no choice but to watch the approach of the torpedo to the target.
In fact, being strategic nuclear weapons worth of nuclear torpedoes “Poseidon” is to grant Russia an effective means of attack that can circumvent the missile defense system of the opponent, thereby forcing him to abandon the use of force and return to the negotiating table to solve the problem.
