The war between Russia and Ukraine is still going on, and Russia has also launched a series of new heavy weapons, trying to seize the opportunity on the battlefield. On the 8th, the Russian Navy officially launched the world’s longest nuclear submarine “Belgorod”, which is regarding 184 meters long and has a displacement of 30,000 tons, making it one of the world’s largest nuclear submarines. Russian Defense Minister Shoigu also announced recently that the new air-to-air missile, known as the “stealth fighter killer”, is also expected to be delivered before the end of the year.
According to foreign media analysis, the “Belgorod” is equipped with deep-sea rescue and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles, which can provide solutions for various related scientific research and search and rescue operations, which can also provide the Russian Navy with an underwater strike and intelligence platform. It can complete various tasks, including launching torpedoes to destroy targets, positioning, and eavesdropping, cutting submarine cables, etc., and can even be sent to the Arctic waters. Foreign media said frankly: “The Russian Navy has finally put its most versatile and feared weapon into use”.
According to reports, the most interesting feature of the nuclear submarine is that it can carry the “Poseidon” nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle. Russian President Vladimir Putin also called the “Poseidon”, the “Pioneer” hypersonic missile and the “Sarmat” intercontinental missile as the Russian military’s strategic killer.
The “Poseidon” nuclear-powered submarine, 24 meters long, looks like a giant torpedo, powered by a small nuclear reactor, can carry a million-ton nuclear warhead, and can autonomously calculate the optimal route to hit the target. According to reports, “Poseidon” is expected to have a range of 10,000 kilometers, “a distance equivalent to crossing the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean”, and can dive at the fastest speed of 100 knots, with a maximum diving depth of 1,000 meters. This weapon of mass destruction is sufficient to inflict unacceptable damage to any nearshore infrastructure and to destroy a carrier strike group.
The Russian military pointed out that it can penetrate anti-submarine networks, explode in enemy coastal areas, destroy important economic facilities, and cause devastating damage on enemy territory by causing widespread radioactive contamination.
The “Belgorod” was originally scheduled to be launched on April 23, 2019 and delivered in 2020, but it was delayed until now due to the impact of the epidemic. The “Belgorod” is highly modified from the “Oscar II” class cruise missile nuclear submarine. It is regarding 600 feet long and has two OK-650V nuclear power plants, each with a power generation capacity of 190 megawatts and a seabed displacement of nearly 2.4 tons. Because it can carry 6 “Poseidon” submarines at a time, with a total equivalent of nearly 400 million tons, the “Belgorod” is also known as the “doomsday submarine” by the outside world.
Foreign media also pointed out that the combination of Poseidon and Belgorod has given Russia a nuclear delivery vehicle that can escape the protection of the US anti-missile system, weakening the US strategic anti-missile advantage.
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu also said recently that the new air-to-air missile, known as the stealth fighter killer, is expected to be officially delivered by the end of this year. Will be able to match the Su-57 and other aircraft carriers.
The missile was unveiled as early as 2019, but no data such as name and performance were announced. It is said that this new missile may be the latest improved version of the R-77 series of medium-range missiles.
The R-77 debuted in 1991 and has since undergone several upgrades. The upgraded R-77-1 entered service with the Russian Air Force in 2015 and is also used in Syria’s Su-35s. The latest upgrade to the series is the K-77M. Featuring an improved active electronically scanned array radar seeker and a new dual-pulse rocket motor, the K-77M has nearly double the range of the original R-77, up to 180 kilometers, “making the Su-57 more powerful than the competition’s Airplanes have an advantage.”
