A report in the Russian media claims that the first production examples of the country’s Poseidon nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped, ultra-long-endurance torpedoes have been built. These will initially be provided to the Russian Navy’s shadowy Project 09852 Belgorod, the world’s longest submarine — but, at this stage, it’s unclear if the torpedoes actually have their nuclear warheads fitted.
According to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, “the first batch of Poseidon ammunition has been manufactured” for the Belgorod and will be delivered “soon.” Citing “a source close to the Russian military and defense industry,” the same report says that trials have already been completed of various components related to the Poseidon torpedo, including its nuclear powerplant. Previous examples of Poseidon were produced for developmental and test use, including the one seen in the video below, published by the Russian Ministry of Defense, but the latest announcement suggests that series production of the torpedoes, or at the very least a larger pre-production batch, has commenced.
TASS also notes that it has no official confirmation of this information from the Russian Ministry of Defense, but it’s very notable that the report does not mention nuclear warheads for the Poseidon and refers to the torpedoes as “nuclear-capable,” suggesting this first batch — the actual number of torpedoes has not been disclosed — may even be unarmed. For now, at least.
However, the initial report in the Russian media has since been picked up by other outlets, with this crucial nuance having been overlooked.
