Image source: topwar.ru
At a military parade held in the DPRK with the participation of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as an honorary guest, a new underwater drone was demonstrated, which can also be qualified as a torpedo, presumably with a nuclear warhead.
- it is noted in the publication of The War Zone.
Like the Poseidon, the new North Korean vehicle has a water jet propulsion system in the rear and a similar arrangement of cruciform steering devices, each of which is equipped with a folding mechanism.
However, according to the author, unlike the Poseidon, equipped with a nuclear power plant, the North Korean drone almost certainly runs on a battery, which significantly reduces the range of the product. This conclusion is made on the grounds that there is no evidence of the presence of a sufficiently compact reactor in the DPRK to power a device of this size.
The North Korean drone has smaller dimensions than the Poseidon: the length can be estimated at about 20 m, and the diameter is about 2 m.
Another important difference from Poseidon is that the Russian weapon is designed to be launched using the "mysterious Belgorod submarine of Project 09852 – the longest in the world", while the DPRK does not have such large submarines that can act as a carrier ship. So, according to the author, the North Korean device will have to be launched from a berth or pier, from some floating platform or, possibly, a suitably modified surface vessel.
Image source: topwar.ru
Many Western observers have identified the new product as Haeil, although this qualification requires clarification. As the author points out, the designation Haeil-2 refers to a similar, but smaller, underwater drone, which was shown in March of this year. At the time, analysts also described it as "the DPRK's answer to Poseidon."
It is possible that both projects represent modifications that appeared at the stage of weapon development, and that the newer device represents the final version.
- the author believes, considering that the range of the device should slightly exceed 850 km.
According to him, despite the shorter range, the new product should have many advantages of Poseidon, including the difficulty of detecting and preventing an enemy attack. This makes it possible to deliver strategic nuclear warheads to the target bypassing existing missile defense systems.
In general, the appearance of a new apparatus strengthens the stability of the DPRK's nuclear forces, which are becoming increasingly difficult to paralyze with a preemptive strike. North Korea is building ever larger ICBMs, developing shorter-range ballistic missiles and strengthening its fleet with nuclear-weapon-carrying submarines. Now an underwater drone with a nuclear filling seems to have joined this list of weapons.