The division of supertorpedo carrier submarines will be located in KamchatkaBy the end of 2024 – beginning of 2025, it is planned to form a division of special–purpose submarines - carriers of Poseidon super torpedoes.
The compound will become part of the submarine forces of the Pacific Fleet (TOF). This was reported to the state news agency TASS by a source close to the Russian military department.
Currently, two nuclear submarine formations are stationed in Kamchatka. The 25th Division includes nuclear-powered submarine–launched missile cruisers (APCs) with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and the 10th Division includes multi-purpose submarines with cruise missiles and torpedoes. Both divisions are actively re-equipped with the new projects 955A "Borey-A" and 885M "Yasen-M" ( "The naval power of Russia is strengthened by the missile carriers "Borey", "HVO" from 02.03.23).
Earlier, information about the construction of coastal infrastructure facilities at the point where the BS-329 Belgorod and Khabarovsk nuclear submarines are based, and with them the 20183 project support vessel, was published on the tapes of state news agencies of the Russian Federation. Their transfer to the fleet, while without the main weapon, took place in July 2022. The new boats "will participate in solving the problem of strategic deterrence."
For the Belgorod nuclear submarine (project 09852), the first Poseidon super torpedo ammunition has already been manufactured ("The Belgorod nuclear ship is armed with huge nuclear torpedoes ", "HVO" from 20.01.23).
Today Belgorod is undergoing trial operation in the Northern Fleet. Belgorod's partner, the Khabarovsk submarine (project 09851), is being completed at Sevmash.
The formed division, the military clarifies, will include other watercraft. Belgorod was originally built according to the 949A project. In 2012, the submarine's hull was re–mortgaged according to a new project - without launchers for cruise missiles.
CARRIER OF UNDERWATER VEHICLESKhabarovsk is the second carrier of Poseidon underwater autonomous vehicles, being built according to project 09851.
The submarine was laid down at Sevmash in July 2014. Both Poseidon carriers were developed at the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Technology in St. Petersburg. Nothing is reported about the technical data of nuclear-powered vessels.
It is known about BS-329 Belgorod that the submarine is designed for deep-sea research and rescue operations and should become the first carrier of Poseidon. At the beginning of October last year, according to NATO, Belgorod left the base and went in an unknown direction. Perhaps to one of the marine testing grounds for the Poseidon spacecraft. A month later, the submarine returned. Western intelligence agencies claimed that there were no shootings in the sea. But they spoke loudly and without evidence about the failure of tests due to technical problems.
On January 10, it became known: the Belgorod submarine actually conducted a series of throwing tests of a new weapon, using a mass-dimensional layout of the Poseidon. In other words, the launch systems of the underwater vehicle were tested, the behavior of the carrier was tested after the launch of the Poseidon from different depths. A week later, an unnamed source in the Defense Ministry told the Russian media about the completion of separate tests of key components and components of the underwater vehicle, including a nuclear power plant.
By that time, the domestic defense industry had manufactured the first Poseidon ammunition to equip the Belgorod submarine. This was also reported by state news agencies. Such a kit will strengthen the Russian Navy and strategic nuclear forces. They will receive fundamentally new opportunities for strategic deterrence or striking at important enemy targets. Strategic nuclear forces will become more flexible and efficient.
How exactly the Poseidon is placed on board the submarine is unknown today. There is a version that on an external suspension or in a special compartment under the deck. In any case, the driving characteristics will remain at the same level. That is, the submarine is capable of launching Poseidon from any area of the World Ocean. The global range of travel is achieved thanks to a nuclear power plant. The product itself is a superheavy torpedo or a compact submarine with a length of 20-25 m with a hull diameter of up to 2 m. The device, according to some reports, will be able to reach a speed of about 100 knots.
It must be assumed that an original control system capable of performing tasks independently for a long time will be developed for the device. The main task is to deliver the warhead to the desired point. There are many versions of the estimate of the power of the Poseidon thermonuclear warhead: from 1-2 Mt to 100.
LARGE UNDERWATER "CANYON"The creation of the Poseidon underwater vehicle was first announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Message to the Federal Assembly in March 2018.
Such drones, he said then, can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear charges. This will allow them to hit a wide range of targets: aircraft carrier groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure. The drone has received an unlimited range. The depth to which it can dive is more than a kilometer.
According to American analysts, the main purpose of the underwater drone should be the bases of American submarines and important facilities on the ocean coast. A 24-meter torpedo can cover 10 thousand km and cause a "radioactive tsunami" off the coast of an American metropolis. The Belgorod submarine can carry six such "Doomsday guns".
The development received the code name Kanyon ("Canyon") from the US military. It meant an unmanned attack submarine with thermonuclear ammunition with a capacity of several tens of megatons. She is able to move stealthily and very quickly over long distances.
The territory of the United States of America is half the area of the Russian Federation. Almost a third of Americans live in three megacities: New York and Washington, Chicago and Pittsburgh, the third agglomeration - Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas. All three agglomerations are located on the ocean coast. It produces more than half of the gross domestic product of the United States. It is this region, according to the Pentagon, that the Russian Kanyon is primarily aimed at in the event of a possible conflict.
The reason for various kinds of judgments was a report on Russian television about a meeting on the development of the defense industry in November 2015. The meeting was attended by President Putin. Documents about the Status-6 system, a megaton–class underwater drone, "accidentally" got into the frame. About six months later, a representative of the United Shipbuilding Company confirmed his participation in the development of an unmanned underwater robot that could cause unacceptable damage to the territory of the United States. This was part of Russia's possible asymmetric response.
The idea of a powerful nuclear underwater explosion is attributed to academician Andrei Sakharov, the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb. The essence of the idea is as simple as it is brilliant. An underwater vehicle with a nuclear charge (the product was assigned the T-15 index in those early years) of 100 Mt (such a power was possessed by a real bomb of the late 1950s, frivolously called "Kuzkin's Mother" by Nikita Khrushchev) secretly lies on the bottom of the eastern, busiest coast of the United States and is remotely detonated at the right moment. The resulting giant wave washes away coastal cities.
Modern modeling by American scientists has shown that the zone of damage from the explosion of the Status-6 system with a capacity of 100 Mt extends over 500 thousand square kilometers, the waves from the explosion will rise to a height of 300-500 m. The plain from the water's edge into the mainland will be flooded with water for 500 km.
A powerful radioactive contamination will occur in the coastal zone. For 8 million people, the "experiment" will result in a fatal outcome, 16 million will receive a critical dose of radiation. Submarines with special equipment should deliver the Status-6 to the location.
To be clear: the Status-6 and the Poseidon marine drone are a single development. The drone is able to dive to depths of more than a kilometer and travel a distance of about 10 thousand km at a speed of about 130-200 km / h. It is capable of hitting targets anywhere in the world Ocean and on its coast. Poseidon is capable of being a carrier of naval weapons or, most importantly, of becoming a high-speed torpedo itself.
"AVANGARD"Poseidon is a means of global strike.
Its potential impact from the sea is scarier for the United States than a missile strike from space orbit. "Poseidon", assures the developer of the Design Bureau of marine equipment "Rubin", is almost impossible to intercept. And he explains the reason for the creation of the drone: only Washington's aggressive actions forced the Russian leadership to come to the development of an asymmetric nuclear deterrent.
Many military analysts consider Poseidon to be an analogue of the Avangard 15P771 system. The latter is capable of flying at supersonic speeds for unlimited distances. Poseidon was created on the basis of the same strategic concept. This brings together two types of the latest weapons.
Naval forces have been one of the advantages of the United States in strategic confrontation in recent decades. And this superiority is now reduced to zero. In many ways, the reason for this is the Poseidon's compact nuclear engine. The US Navy's anti-torpedoes cannot stop the Poseidon. Firstly, torpedoes are too fast for speed (over 200 km/h) due to the nuclear engine and the effect of cavitation, practically embodied, according to all reports, only in Russia. The speed of the fastest American torpedo Mk 48 is no more than 100 km / h. And she won't be able to get Poseidon at "his" depth yet.
Secondly, the anti-submarine deep-sea NATO torpedo MU90 IMPACT at a maximum speed of 93 km / h is able to swim only a few kilometers. "Poseidon" can also famously maneuver, guided by a navigator on the map of the seabed. Its relief is determined by the 3D sonar located in the device.
Let's add here a hydroacoustic station with the ability of circular listening. "Poseidon" can stay in the underwater area for as long as it wants. He can actively and effectively conduct reconnaissance.
The drone transmits the intelligence collected in autonomous navigation by returning to the carrier submarine (special-purpose submarines Khabarovsk or Belgorod). Each boat is capable of carrying up to six strategic drones. The Poseidon spacecraft, together with the carrier submarines, are part of the so-called ocean multipurpose system.
It is uncomfortable to live on the east coast of the United States, not without reason, assuming that somewhere nearby on the seabed lurks a kind of "doomsday apparatus", concealing a charge of colossal power. The US leadership and the US military are also uncomfortable. "We have to do something!" - politicians encourage the generals. And attempts are being made to catch up with Russia, which has gone far ahead. Throughout the long history of the USA and the USSR-Russia, we have, as a rule, caught up in the arms race. Today the picture has been changed to the opposite.
"SURROGATE-V" VS. "KILLER WHALE"At the end of April 2022, the first prototype autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle (ANPA) Orca ("Killer Whale") XLUUV was launched in the USA.
The novelty was developed by Boeing and Huntington Ingalls Industries. This year, four more products will be completed in order to conduct full tests on them. The prototypes are expected to confirm the design characteristics.
The development of the "Killer Whale" has been conducted since 2017. The project was completed recently, the construction of equipment has begun. First, the device will be taught how to install sea mines, then determine the ability to perform other tasks. By other means, apparently, the transfer of a nuclear charge. If the Orca XLUUV goes into production, in the future the US Navy plans to create an entire fleet of ANPA to solve problems in different areas of the World Ocean.
Orca XLUUV is a small diesel–electric submarine in a streamlined hull with a rounded bow. The boat has an autonomous control system. The system is responsible for driving the device along the route, interacts with the operator and other ANPA. The boat's propulsion is water-jet powered by a diesel-electric power plant.
The length of the "Killer whale" is 26 m, about 3 m across, displacement 80 tons, maximum speed of 6-8 knots. The autonomy is several months, at one refueling the cruising range will reach 6,500 nautical miles.
The application of the target load is provided by software modules. Special equipment is placed in a 10-meter compartment with a load capacity of 8 tons. ANPA will be able to carry sonar stations, radio equipment, including radar and electronic warfare systems, and other devices. The possibility of deploying weapons, in particular naval mines and torpedoes, is also being studied.
The main thing is that the Orca XLUUV should perform the functions of a multi–purpose autonomous underwater complex. This possibility depends primarily on the base platform, that is, the new ANPA. It is known to be uninhabited. This allows you to reduce the dimensions and weight of the structure, it is advantageous to use internal volumes, increase autonomy.
Work is also continuing in the USA on the promising ANPA project Snakehead ("Snakehead"). The first prototype of large-displacement LDUUV underwater vehicles was put to the test at the beginning of February this year.
The Snakehead autonomous vehicle is being created as a multi-purpose underwater platform capable of carrying a variety of loads. It can be based on different carriers, provide support to submarines or the fleet as a whole.
The Snakehead product is built in a cylindrical case. The length is several meters, the diameter is about 1.5 m. The device is completely electric. The energy source is high–capacity lithium-ion batteries.
Snakehead has an autonomous control, navigation and communication complex. The device is proposed to be equipped with sonar means for reconnaissance, a set of means for mine warfare, radio-technical means for reconnaissance or suppression.
The main carriers of Snakehead LDUUV will be nuclear submarines. The submarine must have an external compartment for special equipment. Such devices can be used on submarines such as Ohio and Virginia. There are about 10 of them in total. Another potential carrier is the USS JimmyCarter (SSN-23). She has an additional hull section for special equipment.
ANPA will be used for reconnaissance and illumination of the situation. This, of course, will reduce the risks for the carrier submarine. The Snakehead project is able to use replaceable payloads in a modular design.
The timing of the tests of these two novelties, the launch of the series is vague. In any case, it will take at least a decade to catch up with Russia with its Poseidon.
According to the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Technology (CCB MT), more than 10 types of underwater drones are being developed in Russia for the Navy. The newest one is "Surrogate-B" (Surrogate-W, the letter B means "Wingman", Wingman), simulating the actions of a submarine. The first models of underwater drones were called "Amulet".
According to NATO, Belgorod can carry not only Poseidon, but also other underwater vehicles, autonomous, remote-controlled and inhabited. Delivering a multi-megaton nuclear warhead to enemy cities may not be its main and only task – it is capable of scouting the underwater situation, striking enemy ship groupings.
THE APOCALYPSE DRONE"Poseidon" in the West is splendidly called the "weapon of the apocalypse."
It is being created as a means of guaranteed retaliation in a nuclear war. In response to the first strike, the devices will deliver powerful warheads to critical enemy targets and hit them.
The tactical and technical characteristics of the product are such that it is almost impossible to detect and intercept it in a timely manner. Perhaps this information will warn the enemy against rash actions. The new product has full-fledged tests ahead with the use of a standard carrier. Poseidon will then enter service.
Nikolay PoroskovNikolay Nikolaevich Poroskov is a journalist.
