Russia tests "Poseidon"... a nuclear naval weapon that changes the equations of deterrence

 

 Russian 

Russia tests "Poseidon"... a nuclear naval weapon that changes the equations of deterrence

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that his country had tested a nuclear-capable sea-launched drone called "Poseidon," just days after announcing a successful final test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile.

Putin said: "Yesterday we conducted an additional test of another promising system: the Poseidon sea-based drone. There is no way to intercept it."

Moscow pointed out that this weapon also uses nuclear propulsion and is capable of carrying nuclear payloads.

But what do we know about this invincible naval drone, according to experts?

The drone, also known as Status-6 and in the West as Kanyon, is described as a massive nuclear-powered torpedo equipped with a nuclear warhead, capable of autonomously navigating underwater for enormous distances.

The first public information about the project dates back to a 2015 leak on Russian television that revealed a government project to develop an underwater nuclear drone.

The leaked documents stated that the project's objective was to inflict serious damage on the components of the enemy's economic infrastructure in coastal areas and to cause widespread radioactive contamination that would render those areas unsuitable for military or economic activities for extended periods, according to Western reports.

In 2018, a draft of the U.S. Department of Defense's Nuclear Posture Review indicated that Russia was developing a "nuclear-fueled, self-guided, nuclear-tipped intercontinental torpedo."

According to Siddharth Kaushal, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, the torpedo is about 20 meters long, can dive to depths of nearly 1,000 meters, and has an estimated range of at least 10,000 kilometers.

In contrast, many of its true capabilities remain secret, but the main features attributed to it are its ability to operate at great depths and at very high speeds, making it difficult to intercept.

Pavel Podwig, a researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), believes that the development of "Poseidon" reflects Moscow's ambition to showcase a weapons system capable of overcoming missile defense systems.

Is "Poseidon" an unstoppable drone?

It is called a "drone" because of its ability to navigate autonomously and perhaps because it can redirect its course or cancel its mission after launch.

It is believed to have a titanium structure that can withstand the pressure of the depths, and it can be fixed to the seabed to be activated later instead of being launched directly from submarines, which reduces the need to expose large, expensive submarines to the risk of being targeted.

It is estimated that "Poseidon" is capable of reaching speeds exceeding 50 knots (more than 90 km/h), which is nearly double the speed of conventional submarines, making it more difficult to detect and intercept.

From this perspective, some analysts believe that the probability of intercepting it is limited, but they also point out that confronting any nuclear strike, whether from a nuclear torpedo or an intercontinental ballistic missile, remains inherently complex.

The extent of the destructive power and claims of a "radiative tsunami"

Meanwhile, repeated reports by the Russian news agency TASS indicated that the nuclear warhead that could be carried on "Poseidon" could have a yield of up to 2 megatons.

This is an enormous energy source, more than a hundred times greater than the Hiroshima bomb, and dozens of times greater than some known strategic nuclear warheads.

In a striking context, Russian journalist Dmitry Kiselyov made a dramatic description in 2022, claiming that detonating a torpedo of this type near the British coast would cause a giant tsunami wave that could reach 500 meters, and that the wave would carry "enormous levels of radiation" and leave behind a "radioactive desert" unfit for life.

This was accompanied by an explanatory video showing the torpedo and a destructive wave that wipes out large areas of the map.