The newest Russian submarine Khabarovsk, equipped with Poseidon underwater vehicles, could change the world's tactics of underwater warfare. Little is known about this boat, so foreign military analysts are waiting for its launch with great impatience.
Acting in the spirit of the Cold War, the Russian Navy is quietly developing an entirely new category of submarines, and their unique capabilities may affect the nature of submarine warfare. The lead boat of the new Khabarovsk project is due to be launched this month. In my opinion, this will be the main submarine of the 2020s, as it will enter service with an inventive and powerful enemy.
Other Navies are unlikely to be able to create something similar, but they will definitely want to do something against it. The underwater cat-and-mouse game in which American anti-submarine submarines will carefully hunt down the Russians may flare up with renewed vigor. But this time, the targets will not be ballistic missile submarines. Khabarovsk will receive a giant Poseidon self-propelled nuclear torpedo.
Russia has managed to keep many of the characteristics of this submarine a secret. Little is known about this large boat with a nuclear power plant, especially in comparison with Western models. Therefore, military analysts are waiting for her launching with great impatience.
When will the Khabarovsk be launched?
Despite rumors that this event will happen in the near future, the analysis of the shipbuilding enterprise where Khabarovsk is being built does not allow us to draw any specific conclusions. We know that the boat is being built in the first workshop of the Sevmash production association in the northern city of Severodvinsk. There is nothing special about this information, but it means that we can monitor some characteristic signs indicating an approaching descent.
To roll the boat out of the workshop, it will be necessary to release the transport rails. Then it will be necessary to prepare floating devices on each side of the track. Each type of boat has its own layout of these devices, so this in itself will be useful information. Then the boat will be winched out of the workshop stern first.
After that, the entire pool will be filled with water so that the submarine can stay afloat. There will be certain problems with this, because the Admiral Nakhimov nuclear missile cruiser is undergoing major modernization there. The case is probably waterproof, but everything related to the work will have to be removed.
We don't see any of this yet. In addition, there is a large red barge in the way of the boat's most likely route. Judging by satellite images, this barge has been standing there unchanged since July last year. The named date of the Khabarovsk's launch may seem overly optimistic, but it cannot be ruled out. Time will show.
What is known about this submarine?
From the fact that there is a boat of the 08951 project, no one has ever made a secret, but Russian sources say very little about it. The picture emerged gradually, based on old-fashioned analysis and data from a few sources.
Khabarovsk will certainly have a lot in common with the strategic attack submarines of the Borey project. This will help reduce costs and make the boat more stealthy compared to many other submarines from the Russian Navy. The front half of the hull will be occupied by six huge Poseidon torpedoes. This is exactly what makes the new submarine unique.
The Poseidon, also known as the Status-6 and bearing the NATO code name Kanyon, is equipped with a nuclear power plant and a nuclear warhead. This gives it an almost unlimited range. Therefore, Poseidon will pose a serious threat to coastal cities in the United States, such as New York and Los Angeles. The Russian Ministry of Defense calls it a multipurpose weapon and claims that this device can be used against aircraft carrier strike groups of the US Navy.
In fact, the Khabarovsk is not the first Russian submarine equipped with Poseidons. The Russians have an equally mysterious "special purpose" (read: spy submarine) Belgorod, launched on April 23 last year. It will also be equipped with six Poseidon devices. But it will have a dual purpose. She will also become a carrier for the Losharik deep-sea mini-submarine. This combination (a spy submarine and a strategic weapons platform) seems a bit contradictory.
There may be a delay in the transfer of Belgorod to the fleet, because Losharik needs serious repairs. On July 1, 2019, a serious accident occurred on the boat with the loss of life. Therefore, Khabarovsk can still overtake Belgorod and become the first carrier of Poseidons in the fleet.
Khabarovsk will not be the last submarine with Poseidons. It is planned to build two more boats of the 09853 project. In total, Russia will have four Poseidon submarines, six on each. Even less is known about this new project.
Changing the nature of submarine warfare
If Russia's plans do not change, Khabarovsk will be the focus of Western anti-submarine warfare specialists for the next decade. Special attention will be paid to this boat by the US and British Navies, whose nuclear submarines have long been monitoring Russian submarines. Poseidon-equipped submarines will create new challenges for these hunting submarines.
In particular, it will take time to create new weapons capable of intercepting Poseidons. The speed and depth of immersion of this device make it virtually invulnerable to the current generation of modern torpedoes. Perhaps the American remote-controlled long-range torpedo Mk.48 ADCAP and the British Navy Spearfish torpedo will be able to catch up with Poseidon. But the angles and ranges of the Russian device reduce this probability. Thus, the West will need faster, deeper-diving and longer-range torpedoes.
Perhaps this is exactly what the creators of Poseidon were counting on. The West will need a lot of money to fight this torpedo. And compromises are quite appropriate here. Other priorities can be pushed to the background in order to give way to the development of means to counter Poseidon. But this will weaken the work in other areas.
Today, hardly anyone in the West has even heard of such a submarine. But she needs to be looked after.
