According to German defense experts, Russia’s Poseidon nuclear drone is part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to preserve Russia’s great power status. The West fears that Putin’s message to the Russian Federation regarding “Poseidon” could turn out to be prophetic.
In a report, Matthias Koch of German news agency RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) drew attention to the fact that within the framework of Putin’s message to the Federal Assembly, wherein Putin while mentioning Poseidon had said, the Russian army is working on a new system of unmanned weapons, which can include the silent delivery of nuclear warheads.
While NATO had earlier rejected the dangers posed by Russia’s “Poseidon” and termed is a ghost, Koch said, militaries in the West are however horrified at the power of this Russian weapon. According to Western military sources, Russia’s Poseidon underwater drone can autonomously cross entire oceans, destroy coastal cities, trigger giant waves while delivering a nuclear warhead.
Not bluff
In 2015, when Putin had talked about the weapon in his address to the Federal Assembly, many Western military experts saw it as a bluff; however there is growing realization that Putin was not joking regarding Poseidon’s capabilities.
“In the West, they are puzzled by one detail that they would like to know urgently: what sound does the Poseidon drive make?”said Koch while adding, if NATO is unable to find the answer to this question, Putin’s warning about “Poseidon” could well turn out to be prophetic.
“Then Putin will be right in his assertion that Poseidon is an irresistible weapon,” noted RND in the report.
The German edition of RND termed Poseidon as “an eerie and mysterious weapon” that could threaten Russia’s opponents with a double strike – a nuclear warhead coupled with a giant wave.
The report ends with concerns regarding whether Russia would ever use such a weapon.
Naval base for Poseidon UUV
According to Russian military experts, Moscow is currently building a naval base for its Poseidon robotic nuclear submarines, with preliminary information suggesting that it could be completed by the summer of 2022.
According to sources from the Russian Ministry of Defense, a naval base for Poseidon UUVs is necessary given its weapons’ specifications. While earlier it was common to build a floating quay where ships can be docked, but that was at a time when Russia was less technologically advanced, said Rear Admiral Vsevolod Khmirov.
He went on to add, times are different now; weapons are more technologically advanced and as a result requires a completely different coastal facility.
Given the secrecy surrounding the project information on the location of the naval base has not been disclosed.
According to a source from the Russian military-industrial complex, Poseidon can reach a speed of more than 200 km/h [about 110 knots].
“Poseidon” will be capable of operating at a depth of over 1 km and traveling at its maximum speed in the air cavities, reported Russian news agency TASS.
Incidentally, modern nuclear submarines have a maximum underwater speed of 60 km/h (30-35 knots) while torpedoes have a typical speed of around 90 km/h (50 knots). Fitted with a jet engine, Russian’s torpedo “Shkval” can supposedly reach an underwater speed of 370 km/h (up to 200 knots).
But unlike Poseidon, it operates at a shallower depth and can traverse shorter distances.
