Russia have submarine new name Belgorod. At 184 meters long, the Belgorod is the longest submarine in the world.
The Belgorod is even longer than the US Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile and guided missile submarine, which is 171 meters long.
Reported from CNNOn Sunday (24/7), experts said the Belgorod design is a modified version of Russia’s Oscar II-class missile submarine. The difference is, it is made longer in order to accommodate the world’s first nuclear-armed stealth torpedo and intelligence equipment.
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With this capability, Belgorod is claimed to be a Russian submarine that rivals US submarines for tracking each other. This is considered to be able to bring back the cold war under the sea.
Belgorod is referred to as a research submarine. However, various parties say the submarine can also be a medium for espionage.
Belgorod will likely also operate as platform intelligence gathering.
In a news release earlier this month, the Russian shipbuilder highlighted the Belgorod’s non-lethal capabilities. They say it opens up new opportunities for Russia to conduct scientific expeditions and rescue operations in the most remote areas of the world’s oceans.
Bring a Nuclear Capable Torpedo
What sets the Belgorod apart from any of the nuclear-powered submarines in the Russian fleet is its mission.
The submarine will carry the Poseidon nuclear-capable torpedo which is under development. Belgorod is said to be able to carry eight Poseidon.
The torpedo was designed to be launched from hundreds of miles away and sneak past coastal defenses by traveling along the ocean floor.
“This nuclear ‘mega torpedo’ is unique in world history,” wrote American submarine expert HI Sutton on the Covert Shores website.
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Illustration. The Belgorod submarine is said to be carrying nuclear-capable torpedoes like the Poseidon. (AP/)- – |
He said the Poseidon is a completely new category of weapons. “This will reshape naval planning in Russia and the West, leading to new requirements and new retaliatory weapons,” Sutton continued.
Both US and Russian officials say the torpedo can deliver a warhead of several megatons, causing radioactive waves that would render swathes of the target’s coastline uninhabitable for decades.
Sutton said the Poseidon, estimated to be 2 meters in diameter and more than 20 meters long, was the largest torpedo ever developed in any country.
“That’s thirty times the size of a regular ‘heavyweight’ torpedo,” said Sutton.
The US Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had touted Poseidon in his 2018 speech. He said the Poseidon was easy to maneuver and almost had no vulnerabilities to be exploited by the enemy.
If armed with a conventional warhead, the Poseidon can be used against targets. “Including carrier groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure,” Putin said.
However, there are doubts about whether the torpedo will be added to Russia’s arsenal or not.
(mrh/asr)
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