Doomsday torpedo: Russia’s deadly new Poseidon can unleash radioactive tsunami
Russia has shown footage of a devastating new weapon: a nuclear-powered submarine drone designed to unleash a “radioactive tsunami”.
Hours after Vladimir Putin warned the US against deploying new missiles in Europe, Russia backed up the vow by unveiling a terrifying new weapon.
The Poseidon — dubbed by one expert last year as the “doomsday torpedo” — is a nuclear-powered submarine drone, designed to unleash radioactive tsunamis on coastal areas.
Putin said tests of the Poseidon underwater drone have been progressing successfully, and the first submarine equipped to carry it will be commissioned later this year.
Shortly after Putin’s speech, the Defence Ministry released a brief video showing a test of the Poseidon, which can target coastal areas with a heavy nuclear weapon, causing a devastating tsunami wave.
“Unique characteristics of the Poseidon system will help the navy to successfully combat aircraft carriers and strike groups of a potential adversary in any oceanic theatre of war and destroy shore infrastructure facilities,” Admiral Igor Katasonov reportedly told Russian media.
The video reveals a cylinder-shaped torpedo about two metres wide and 20 metres long, in a hydrodynamic testing pool.
There are reports Putin believes the weapon could be operational within months, with a specially-designed submarine capable of carrying eight of the doomsday torpedoes due to be launched mid-year.
Kremlin sources claim it can move underwater at 200 kilometres and hour and when detonated, produce a tsunami of up to 100 metres, which would contaminate a wide area on an enemy’s coast with radioactive isotopes.
Russia’s arsenal
Other weapons Russia appears ready to add to its arsenal are the first batch of Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles, which will be deployed this year.
Putin said the development of a vehicle that the military said is capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound was a technological achievement comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite.
He added that the tests of the new Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile were also progressing.
Putin also announced the coming deployment of the new Zircon hypersonic missile for the Russian navy, saying it’s capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and will have a range of 1000 kilometres.
Putin added that the military will deploy more Kinzhal airborne hypersonic missiles, which entered service last year. The Defence Ministry said Wednesday the Kinzhal has been successfully tested at a range exceeding 1000 kilometres against both sea and land targets.
— Staff writers and AFP
More Coverage
Women egged in anti-Semitic attack at Bondi Beach
Three men allegedly set upon a number of women on Saturday night in Sydney's east, throwing eggs at them, with police believing they were targeted because of the clothes they were wearing.
‘Hunted down and locked up’: PM condemns latest anti-Semitic attack
Anthony Albanese has condemned a spate of anti-Semitic hate crimes which has culminated in the discovery of a caravan packed with explosives outside Sydney, declaring the perpetrators 'would not succeed' creating hate and division.