Russia has unveiled its latest nuclear-powered submarine, a vessel capable of launching a newly designed weapon of mass destruction said capable of traveling thousands of miles underwater at high speeds. The Sevmash Shipyard, located at the northern White Sea port city of Severodvinsk, floated out the Project 09852 special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod on Tuesday. The vessel has been slated as the carrier for the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle, as per official reports from the Russian Defense Ministry. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke at the slipway ceremony via television link, thanked researchers and hailed recent improvement's in his country's maritime might. "You are proving that you can solve the most difficult, ambitious tasks," Putin said. "I am sure that this will continue in the future and, through joint efforts, we will certainly increase the status of Russia as a great maritime power." The Poseidon was deemed a "doomsday weapon" by the Pentagon back when the drone-bearing torpedo was still known as the Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System. Experts have warned the weapon could be used to cause artificial tsunamis that would prove dangerous for coastal cities. The weapon was officially confirmed by Putin himself during his March 2018 State of the Nation address in which he touted work on "unmanned submersible vehicles that can move at great depths—I would say extreme depths—intercontinentally, at a speed multiple times higher than the speed of submarines, cutting-edge torpedoes and all kinds of surface vessels, including some of the fastest. "It is really fantastic," he said at the time. "They are quiet, highly maneuverable and have hardly any vulnerabilities for the enemy to exploit. There is simply nothing in the world capable of withstanding them." Sea trials reportedly began in December, and Putin said they were running successfully during this year's State of the Nation talk in February. The Russian leader also briefed his parliament on progress regarding other state-of-the-art arms such as the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, the Avangard hypersonic boost-glide vehicle, the Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched missile and the Peresvet laser system. As for the Belgorod itself, Vice Admiral Andrei Volozhinsky, chief of the main staff of Russia's navy, called the submarine "a vessel, that with its amazing properties, will guarantee the security of the motherland," according to a news release. Russian newspaper Izvestia has previously claimed that the vessel—an update of an earlier, completed design—would be the largest Russian submarine by length at 505 by 604 feet. The state-run Tass Russian News Agency cited a source Tuesday as saying that the Belgorod's nuclear reactor and its dockside trials would begin this year, and that the submarine would be ready for sea trials by next year.<doc-sep>Russia launched the world’s longest submarine today, the special mission submarine Belgorod. Designed to support a variety of military missions, including the Poseidon long-range strategic nuclear torpedo, the sub is far larger than anything operated by any other naval force, including the U.S. Navy. The six hundred foot long submarine displaces more water than a World War I battleship and can dive to a depth of 1,700 feet. The submarine was launched today, April 23rd, at the Sevmash shipyards in Russia, with Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly watching via satellite. Officially known as Project-09852, the submarine was originally an Oscar II-class cruise missile submarine that the Russian government ran of funds to complete. The submarine hull sat unfinished until Moscow decided to complete it as a special mission submarine. The hull was lengthened to approximately 184 meters (604 feet) and the ship’s displacement ballooned to 30,000 tons submerged--more than fifty percent greater than the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. The result of an unfinished hull the Belgorod is a one-off, and there will not be another one like it. Belgorod, AKA Project 09852. H.I. Sutton The nuclear-powered Belgorod is neither an attack submarine nor a ballistic missile sub. A special mission submarine, Belgorod will be a mothership to other undersea vessels. The sub can carry a payload on its back, behind the sail, or a Losharik class mini-submarine that attaches and detaches to the bottom of the hull. According to HI Sutton , noted authority on undersea warfare, Belgorod will be crewed by the Russian Navy but operated by GUGI, the secretive Main Directorate Deep Sea Research organization. Sutton, who has been watching Belgorod’s development from afar, tells Popular Mechanics, “Belgorod was originally laid down as an Oscar-II class cruise missile submarine, but work stopped when the Russian economy caught up with the submarine building program. Work restarted years later in her modified form. So she is already older than many of her crew.” Poseidon long range nuclear torpedo. H.I. Sutton “The modifications are likely to be extensive, and may include some latest technology, but underneath she is still an earlier generation of submarine, and likely to be less stealthy than the latest generation.” Sutton’s observations from afar have largely been correct but he also warns some details will be wrong. “Russia has generally been more successful than the US at protecting her latest submarines from unwanted cameras,” Sutton explained. “Just this week documents allegedly leaked of a nuclear triad briefing for President Trump included a cutaway of the as-yet unbuilt Colombia class ballistic missile submarine. For Russia's latest boats we are still guessing many details. “Defense observers can piece together a few sources and rumors with traditional analytical techniques to second guess what Belgorod is like. The cutaway (above) represents a best guess before any photos of Belgorod post-modifications emerged.” Losharik mini-submarine. H.I. Sutton One major mission Sutton believes Belgorod is meant for is the covert placement of the Harmony submarine detection network . A nuclear-powered underwater detection system, Harmony could help alert Russian forces of enemy submarines transiting through key areas. The key to their working however is their covert deployment, something Belgorod was practically built to do. Another mission is conducting covert operations with the Losharik midget submarines. The 230 foot long, nuclear-powered Losharik is equipped with robotic arms and capable of diving to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). The massive submarine will also be able to carry the Harpsichord-2P-PM autonomous underwater vehicle, transporting it to an operating area and then use its sonar to map the ocean floor or find man-made objects. Although built to conduct underwater espionage, by far the most sinister mission for Belgorod is as launch vehicle for the Poseidon nuclear torpedo system. Poseidon is a very large torpedo, 65 feet long and 6.5 feet in diameter, with a range of thousands of miles and a top speed of 60 knots. Poseidon is believed to carry a 2 megaton thermonuclear warhead and is designed to go around U.S. missile defenses to strike coastal targets, including ports and cities. According to HI Sutton Belgorod will carry up to six Poseidon torpedoes. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>
Russia has launched a special-purpose, nuclear-powered submarine that is believed capable of carrying nuclear-tipped underwater drones that when fully developed could threaten U.S. coastal cities. The submarine Belgorod was launched on April 23 in the northwestern city of Severodvinsk. Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the proceedings via video link from the Severnaya Shipyard in St. Petersburg. State-run TASS news agency said development work on the Belgorod will continue and that tests will begin next year with a goal of deploying the vessel by the end of 2020 or early 2021. It measures 184 meters long, the longest submarine ever built, and will be capable of carrying six underwater drones. The drones themselves are expected to be ready for service in 2027, according to media reports citing a U.S. intelligence assessment. Construction on the vessel started in 1992 but was delayed several times due to financing issues. Journalists were not allowed to photograph or film the launch as the submarine's operational characteristics have been classified. Russian media reports say the Belgorod will carry deep-water rescue vehicles and autonomous underwater drones. In November 2015, a state television channel briefly showed a document with drawings and details of a planned, nuclear-capable, submarine-launched drone. The document said the purpose of the drone was to "strike important enemy economic facilities in coastal areas" and create "zones of extensive radioactive contamination that are unfit for military, economic, or other activity for a long period of time. The Kremlin quickly dismissed the report as a mistake, although analysts speculated the reveal was deliberate. In his annual state-of-the-nation address on March 1, 2018, Putin discussed a number of new weapons undergoing testing and development, including a nuclear-capable undersea drone. Using colorful graphics and video, Putin said the high-speed drone could target both aircraft carriers and coastal facilities with nuclear weapons. Putin claimed the drone would be impossible to intercept. The drone was later named Poseidon. In his most recent state-of-the-nation address on February 20, Putin announced that the first submarine equipped to carry the Poseidon would be floated out before summer. TASS reported that Moscow plans to eventually deploy more than 30 underwater nuclear-capable drones carried on four submarines. Putin's bellicose 2018 speech came at a time of high tensions with the United States over sanctions imposed after Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and Moscow's support of separatist formations waging a war in eastern Ukraine, as well as a U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. At the time, U.S. President Donald Trump was warning that the United States could withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, citing alleged Russian violations. Washington made that move in October 2018. With reporting by TASS, Interfax, RIA Novosti, CNBC, and The Moscow Times