According to the
source in the domestic defense industry two Poseidon-carrying submarines are
expected to enter service with the Northern Fleet and the other two will join
the Pacific Fleet.
MOSCOW, January 12.
/TASS/. The Russian Navy plans to place more than 30 Poseidon strategic
nuclear-capable underwater drones on combat duty, a source in the domestic
defense industry told TASS on Saturday.
"Two
Poseidon-carrying submarines are expected to enter service with the Northern
Fleet and the other two will join the Pacific Fleet. Each of the submarines
will carry a maximum of eight drones and, therefore, the total number of
Poseidons on combat duty may reach 32 vehicles," the source said.
The special-purpose
nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk currently being built at the Sevmash
Shipyard will become one of the organic carriers of the Poseidon
nuclear-capable underwater drone. Also, special-purpose submarines and Project
949A nuclear-powered underwater cruisers operational in the Russian Navy may be
used as the carriers "after their appropriate upgrade," the source noted.
TASS has no official
confirmation of this information.
In his
state-of-the-nation address to both houses of Russia’s parliament on March 1,
Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned for the first time the country’s
efforts to develop a nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle that can carry
both conventional and nuclear warheads and is capable of destroying enemy
infrastructural facilities, aircraft carrier groups and other targets.
Poseidon drones
together with their carriers - nuclear-powered submarines - make part of the
so-called oceanic multipurpose system. The drone got its name following the
results of open voting on the website of Russia’s Defense Ministry.
A source in the
defense industry earlier told TASS that the Poseidon drone being developed in
Russia would be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 2
megatonnes to destroy enemy naval bases.
Source: ITAR-TASS
12-01-2019
