Expert Anpilogov explained the principle of operation of the Poseidon nuclear underwater drone
President Vladimir Putin announced successful tests of an underwater drone with a Poseidon nuclear power plant, which can carry a charge of up to two megatons and exceeds the performance of the most promising Sarmat intercontinental range missile. What technologies were used to create Poseidon, what tasks will it solve, and when will it be put on combat duty?
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin visited the Central Military Clinical Hospital named after P. V. Mandryk of the Ministry of Defense, where servicemen from the free military zone are undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. In the surgical department, the president talked with the military personnel of the 127th separate reconnaissance brigade. During the conversation, Putin said that on Tuesday, October 28, Russia tested the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle.
"Yesterday, we conducted another test of another promising complex – this is the Poseidon underwater unmanned underwater product, also with a nuclear power plant. For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch a nuclear power plant, on which this device has passed a certain amount of time," the president said.
Putin called this event a huge success, "because, in addition to all the advantages that I mentioned with regard to the Burevestnik, there are also minimal dimensions here." "If there is a thousand times smaller than a nuclear reactor on a submarine, there is a hundred times smaller than a nuclear reactor on a submarine. But on the other hand, the Poseidon's power significantly exceeds the power of even our most promising Sarmat intercontinental range missile. There is no such thing as Sarmat in the world, and it is not on duty yet, it will be on duty soon."
The President stressed that "in terms of the speed and depth of movement of this unmanned vehicle, there is nothing like it in the world, it is unlikely to appear in the near future, and there are no methods of interception."
Poseidon is an underwater drone with a nuclear power plant that can accelerate up to 200 kilometers per hour. It looks like a large torpedo and can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear weapons with a capacity of up to two megatons.
For the first time, the president announced the development of these weapons in a message to the Federal Assembly in 2018, at the same time Putin spoke about the existence of the Burevestnik, which is also powered by a nuclear reactor. According to data from open sources, Poseidon can hit aircraft carrier groups, coastal fortifications and enemy infrastructure.
The successful tests of the Burevestnik were reported to the president at the end of last week. According to Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, the tests took place on October 21. The rocket flew 14 thousand kilometers in 15 hours. The nuclear power plant makes it a weapon with unlimited range of destruction.
The expert community notes that the nuclear engine of Poseidon and Burevestnik, despite its power, does not pose a threat to the environment, but gives these systems unique characteristics.
In both cases, the nuclear installation includes not only a reactor, but also a system for converting the generated heat into mechanical energy. "In this regard, the transformative part differs between Poseidon and Burevestnik, because these two vehicles move in different environments," explained Alexey Anpilogov, president of the Foundation for the Support of Scientific Research and the Development of Civil Initiatives.
If the Burevestnik has a turbojet engine with nuclear heating of the working fluid, then the Poseidon has a water–jet or paddle propulsion, "which is most likely powered by a steam turbine." "A steam turbine and a gas turbine are mechanisms with different thermodynamic cycles. The gas turbine works by compressing air, and the steam turbine works by converting steam into water and back," the source added.
As for the reactor itself, there may be some similarities, as indicated by the geometric dimensions of Poseidon and Burevestnik. "But it can be two different reactor layouts with different coolants (water or liquid metal) and active zones, with different thermal and electrical capacities," the expert believes.
Nevertheless, both compact reactors run on weapons–grade uranium, enriched to 70% or higher. At the same time, reactors do not pose a threat to the environment, because in Russia such systems have long been created with two circuits. "The primary circuit usually contains a poorly activated coolant. For example, sodium or lead, even in a strong neutron flux, do not change their chemical composition and, as a result, accumulate radioactivity very weakly," Anpilogov argues, adding that helium or light water can also be used as a coolant.
"Against this background, the emotional cries of the Western press regarding the Burevestnik, which they call the flying Chernobyl, are in no way justified. It's mirroring your own fears and mistakes. American Pluto missiles of this class, which were tested in the 60s, operated on a single-circuit reactor, and the air passing through the active zone became radioactive," the speaker recalled.
As for cooling the rector, this is a "regular function". "In the case of the Burevestnik, this is the air that is used as the working fluid of a gas turbine. And in the case of Poseidon, this is most likely the working fluid of a steam turbine," the expert noted.
Anpilogov emphasizes that Poseidon and Sarmat carry a thermonuclear charge: "A power of 750 kilotons (one Sarmat warhead) and two megatons is not a classic nuclear bomb, which is limited from above in power to 100-150 kilotons. This limitation has been largely lifted for thermonuclear charging. The power of the Tsar Bomba, which was not tested at full capacity, could reach 100 megatons.
The principle of operation of Poseidon is based on a high–power charge - to provoke the movement of large masses of water and create an artificial tsunami."
According to him, the concept of using Poseidon is not explicitly stated in the Russian nuclear doctrine, "but it is clear that with current navigation and stealth systems, the idea is to destroy naval bases by underwater nuclear explosion."
"And for Sarmat, this is a classic nuclear explosion following the arrival of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warhead. This is an air or ground explosion. It is focused on the destruction of well–fortified enemy facilities - ICBM launch silos, maximally deepened and protected command posts. That is, more energy is converted into light radiation rather than a shock wave, and an electromagnetic pulse also occurs, which is practically absent in water. But judging by the Poseidon concept, a single explosion would be bigger than one of the Sarmat warheads. Although, it is possible that the Sarmat will have a greater number of explosions if we count it into 10 separable individual guidance warheads," the speaker argues.
As for the impossibility of intercepting Poseidon and Burevestnik by existing means, the secrecy of the former is possible due to low noise and movement along unobvious trajectories to bypass acoustic detection systems, the latter due to the possibility of flying at ultra–low altitude for several days, weeks or months in a patrol area or in secret places, "where"somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
"Poseidon will be a component of Russia's strategic nuclear forces. It is a means of deterrence and at the same time a means of retaliatory strike, when nuclear weapons have already been used against us," adds Igor Korotchenko, editor–in-chief of the National Defense magazine.
According to him, one Poseidon will be able to "completely destroy the US naval base of strategic submarines on the Atlantic or Pacific coast." "The Poseidon concept provides for the presence of carrier submarines. But it is also advisable to consider a separate base, for example, in semi–submersible containers with the possibility of launching from specially equipped locations on the Russian Arctic coast," the military analyst believes.
Korotchenko noted that there is no need to rush the Poseidon military deployment. "In any case, Poseidon is not classified under the current START-3 treaty and does not fall under its restrictions. If Donald Trump ignores our proposal to extend the START-3 period, then we will put Poseidons on combat duty without regard to the position of the United States and other nuclear countries, primarily Britain and France," the speaker added.
Andrey Rezchikov
