Russia has manufactured its first set of Poseidon nuclear-capable super torpedoes, state-run news outlet TASS reported Monday.
The torpedoes, which TASS referred to as drones, have unlimited range because they are nuclear-powered. They can travel up to 80 mph, faster than most conventional torpedoes, and carry a 2-megaton nuclear-tipped warhead or conventional munitions.
"The first batch of Poseidon ammunition has been manufactured and will be soon delivered to special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod," TASS reported, quoting an anonymous source close to the Russian military and defense industry.
The source said various trials of core components of the torpedo, including the nuclear power unit, were successfully completed, according to TASS, which reported it received no official comment from the government.
Last week, TASS reported models of the torpedo went through a series of tests at various depths on the Belgorod, which at 583 feet is considered the world's longest submarine. The Russians "aimed to test the Poseidon launch system, and this goal has been achieved," TASS reported, quoting an anonymous Defense Ministry source.
Russian President Vladimir Putin first unveiled plans for the Poseidon, known as Kanyon by NATO, in 2018, but it reportedly has yet to be fully tested in the field. In November, CNN reported the U.S. observed Russian naval vessels, including the Belgorod, preparing for a test of the Poseidon, but the vessels were observed leaving the testing area in the Arctic Sea and heading back to port without performing a test. CNN reported the U.S. believes there might have been technical glitches.
The U.S. Naval Institute, a Maryland-based military think thank, reported in May the torpedo is not yet ready to be deployed as an autonomous weapon, but an autonomous nuclear weapon delivery system "presents both the possibility of an extremely survivable second-strike capability as well as apocalyptic consequences for any system errors that result in inadvertent targeting."
On Nov. 12, 2020, Christopher Ford, the assistant secretary of state for International Security and Nonproliferation in the Trump administration, said at a conference in New York, the torpedoes are meant to "inundate U.S. coastal cities with radioactive tsunamis."
"This operational concept raises serious questions about the extent to which it could be used in compliance applicable international legal rules and principles," Ford said.