The ceremony for the delivery of a new nuclear submarine (NPS) of project 09852 “Belgorod” to the Russian Navy (Pacific Fleet) took place quite recently – on July 8. And on April 23, 2021, the commander of the nuclear-powered ship, Captain 1st Degree Anton Alekhin, broke a traditional bottle of champagne on his side at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk.
CNN’s interest in Belgorod was riveted by the fact that this submarine will be the first carrier of the Poseidon nuclear strike aircraft to receive the NATO Canyon coding. According to open sources, the submarine will carry 6-8 such devices.
“The main task of the Poseidon apparatus is to deliver a nuclear weapon to the shores of a potential enemy in order to destroy important coastal elements of the enemy’s economic infrastructure and inflict guaranteed unacceptable damage by creating large zones of radioactive pollution, a tsunami and other areas. the devastating consequences of a nuclear explosion,” Gazeta told Gazeta. Ru” Sergei Belousov, member of the Board of Military Experts.
The presence of underwater drones in Belgorod will provide new opportunities for the Russian fleet. CNN predicts, citing the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), that “the emergence of a nuclear submarine like Belgorod will provoke a new Cold War between Russia and the United States.”
Rear Admiral Valery Litvinov, retired from the Russian Navy, admits that the emergence of Belgorod could provoke a new cold war.
“The appearance of Belgorod and the Poseidons can really change the military strategy in the most serious way. The fact is that there are no measures against Poseidon yet. A nuclear missile can be hit. Nuclear underwater drone – no. This does not mean that in principle a means of neutralization cannot arise. It will most likely appear. And then they will think about how to get around this tool. The cold war in the past was largely a war of missiles and missile defense systems, it was in the air. A new war will begin in the ocean,” Litvinov told socialbites.ca.
The experimental carrier of the nuclear submarine system of project 09582 “Belgorod” is a revised project of the multipurpose nuclear submarine 949A “Antey”. It was laid off in 1992, but was kicked out of the Navy in 1994 and mothballed. In 2012, the Naval Headquarters announced that Belgorod will be completed according to a special project.
During the completion and renovation, the length of the submarine increased from 154 meters to 184 meters. At that time there was still no talk of placing Poseidon on it. It was assumed that the nuclear submarine will be the carrier of deep-sea nuclear vehicles (non-weapons) of the Losharik type or autonomous deep-sea stations “Halibut” and “Nelma”. So, “Belgorod” was originally converted into a carrier boat.
24 missiles from other weapons on the submarine were placed in the side vessels outside the powerful hull – the anti-submarine “Waterfall” and the supersonic “Wind”.
“But the main weapon of the Belgorod submarine, of course, will be unmanned Poseidons,” the military expert, reserve captain 1st rank Vasily Dandykin told socialbites.ca. – The fact that the tests have passed an important stage, President Vladimir Putin spoke again in 2019. Therefore, we can say with a high probability that the Poseidons are ready for use, even if they are part of a set.
The expert reminded that the development of “Poseidon” has been carried out since 2010, but the purpose of “Belgorod” is not clear and the meaning of this development is not clear for a long time.
“The Americans were then stunned by the appearance in Russia of a submarine with great combat potential, but with an obscure purpose. The Americans did not know the true purpose of this boat, and therefore they were nervous, ”said he.
In the United States, where they were stunned by the appearance of the Belgorod submarine in the Russian Navy, capable of carrying nuclear attack underwater aircraft Poseidon, they continue to implement a large-scale project to create an unmanned submarine fleet.
So, in early July, he learned about the US Senate’s desire to launch the Snakehead underwater drone program (“Snake Head”). 100 million dollars will be allocated for preliminary work.