Eurasia Press & News
Russian Warsaw-type [Kilo-class – ed.] submarines will be armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and will be able to remain in service for a long time, maintaining their leadership position, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing expert’s opinion published in the Chinese edition of Sohu.
The author of the publication writes: Russia’s Northern Fleet will receive the world’s first diesel-electric submarine type 636.3 “Warsaw,” known in NATO as a submarine class “Kilo.” According to the Chinese edition observer, the Kilo-class submarines are the most successful conventional submarines developed during the former Soviet navy era.
“They were created mainly for anti-ship and anti-submarine operations in shallow waters near the sea and are currently Russia’s largest export submarines,” the paper said.
More about Kilo-class submarine
The Kilo-class submarine was the first diesel submarine in the Soviet Union with a single-axle, low-noise engine. The publication’s author writes that the improved model is considered the quietest diesel-electric submarine globally; the other six are currently serving in the Black Sea Fleet.
The Warsaw class submarine has a teardrop shape and a relatively broad and rounded appearance. The displacement of type 636.3 is about 2300 tons on the surface and more than 3000 tons underwater. Kilo-class submarines have an operating depth of about 240 meters and a maximum depth of about 300 meters.
The Chinese edition observer notes that this two-hull submarine with modern contours; therefore, the sub has excellent buoyancy and unsinkability. It has six sealed compartments with waterproof partitions.
The Chinese edition columnist notes that 636 submarines have modern and modified equipment, which Russia can change with new types of weapons and equipment, including Kalibr cruise missiles. These construction technologies and design solutions allow Class 636.3 submarines to maintain a leading position among non-nuclear submarines in the world for a long time.
Russian Navy will be armed with new electric torpedoes
The Russian Navy will arm itself with an electric torpedo, BulgarianMilitary.com has learned, quoting the Russian edition of Vzglyad. Boris Obnosov, chief executive of the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation, said the torpedos had passed state tests and begin phased production and delivery to the fleet.
“In 2020, we completed state tests of the first Russian electric torpedo … Today, the first serial models of new electric torpedoes have already entered service in the Russian Navy,” Obnosov said in an interview with the Military-Industrial Courier newspaper.
According to Obnosov, during the Soviet Union, Moscow also decided to produce a similar torpedo type. At that time, however, Russian engineers failed to achieve the desired tactical and technical characteristics.
Obnosov also said that modern Russian electric torpedoes today surpass their Western competitors in terms of quietness, range, depth of immersion, and target detection range. Obnosov declined to say the name of the electric torpedo.
Russian Poseidon torpedo is a nuclear warhead
In general, this is the opinion that had spread in recent years. Please don’t take it literally. According to the Russians, Poseidon is a torpedo capable of carrying a “multi-megaton nuclear warhead.”
A similar opinion was expressed last year by a Pentagon official. Christopher Ford, an assistant secretary of state, said Poseidon would trigger a tsunami by blowing himself up near the shore. Fearing that he would cross oceans freely, the American politician expressed his concern about the American coastline’s security. He thus described the “doomsday” torpedo as a real threat to the United States.
If this information is correct, let us remind you of something – Russia is building four submarine carriers, which must carry a total of 12 torpedoes with nuclear “multi-megaton” warheads.
Russian military analyst Dmitry Litovkin claims that Poseidon has another vital function – to sleep. According to him, the nuclear torpedo can lie on the seabed for years, despite its nuclear reactor. This feature makes the torpedo “invisible” to naval radars. Thus, the torpedo is at rest in standby mode and expects a “call” from Moscow.
It’s not a doomsday torpedo; it’s a reconnaissance station
Russian scientist Pavel Luzin made a similar statement. He is a military expert from Russia and a lecturer at Perm University. The American publication Forbes is citing his opinion.
According to Luzin, the purpose of the torpedo is a deep-sea station that has no human staff. However, this means, as David Axe claims in his Forbes article, that Poseidon will play the role of a perfect spy machine, tracking the behavior of enemy fleets over him. In this way, the torpedo carriers – the two submarines – also become reconnaissance submarines.
In the middle of last year, we announced that Russia was conducting tests on submarine drones to monitor the seabed in the Black Sea. According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry at the time, the tested drones would “monitor and analyze the underwater situation.”
Another important quote from a Moscow press release states that drones have tested in the Black Sea must “show the effectiveness and respond to threats in underwater areas.” According to experts, these tests aimed to show underwater drones’ ability to “count” which objects are large and not on the surface of the water.
