A throw test of the nuclear-armed Poseidon torpedo in the submarine Belgorod was reported by state media, completing this crucial test.
Russia's Nuclear-Armed Poseidon Torpedo
Based on the source, the aim is to test the function of the Poseidon launch system. This throw-firing of the super torpedo was done to see how it does at different depths, reported The EurAsian Times.
As shown by unnamed senior US officials earlier, US intelligence ascertained that Russian naval vessels were potentially preparing for the first test of cutting-edge nuclear torpedoes that could hit American coastal regions, CNN noted.
The vessel involved in the tests is the nuclear-powered Belgorod which got inducted into the Russian Navy last July 2022 and was deployed in an undisclosed place. The submarine was built from the hull of an Oscar-II cruise missile submarine, which was never finished. It is specially customized to release autonomous underwater vehicles, such as the high-tech torpedo.
The Belgorod may bring up to eight nuclear-tipped Poseidon, according to a US Congressional Research Service (CRS) document. Nevertheless, a few weapons experts believe its cargo is much more probable to be six torpedoes.
According to observations, Russian vessels, such as the recently inducted sub, will leave the testing area in the Arctic and return to port without undergoing the test.
According to US sources, the test was canceled due to technical difficulties. The information came from an alleged top-secret NATO report published in late September. Mentioned speculations about the deployment of Russia's specialized sub sent to the Arctic marine zone; to assess the lethal UUV made for a specialized attack in its initial test.
Reports were filed about Russian activities concerning its naval forces that spent more than one month in the frigid Arctic Sea but were aborted at the last minute.
Though US officials think that Moscow can try to test the torpedo at another time, even with a delay, they complain the test of the UUV capable of a nuclear detonation is something that can cause tensions in Ukraine.
NATO and its allied fear that the Kremlin can use a tactical nuke in Ukraine. But Washington does not see any nuclear detonation involved in the test; it is nuclear capable and nuclear powered. There is a danger of radiation leaks from the system developed by the Russians, which is not available to the US.
Underwater Nuclear Deterrence
Military planners developed the very concept of nuclear deterrence is not very conventional. Moscow has long sought a way to bypass the American ballistic missile defense systems in Europe, a strategic imbalance directed against Moscow. By attacking with an underwater weapon capable of nullifying the US Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), noted USNI.
The UUV torpedo can make 3-D evasive moves to survive until it achieves its target objective. Another thing is the US has developed methods to detect and track any foreign ICBM in flight via its satellite network. But in the sea, it's a different and stealthier attack. Armed with a two-megaton nuclear warhead that can annihilate the ships in US carrier strike groups and facilities close to the US coastal region, about 30 Poseidon will be deployed.
The nuclear-armed Poseidon torpedo tested by the submarine Belgorod is what the US fears and is desperate to find a countermeasure.