“The USA really doesn’t like Poseidon and Sarmath. They want to ban them.”

The United States wants to include Poseidon and Sarmat in a treaty with Russia that will limit or completely ban their future use, Antonov said on the broadcast of the Soloviev LIVE program.

“Poseidon” [США] I don’t like very much, I don’t like Sarmat very much. In all our conversations with representatives of the Academy we are constantly told that in a future arms control treaty these Poseidons should be banned, of course the use of Sarmatians should be limited, etc. . . .

What is Poseidon and Sarmat?

Poseidon is an underwater drone capable of carrying a heavy nuclear warhead. In fact, this is an analogue of a nuclear torpedo, launched from the main submarine, like a torpedo. The main task is the radioactive contamination of coastal cities, causing a tsunami and destroying coastal infrastructure.

Creating such a drone for the first time announced Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.

“In Russia, unmanned underwater vehicles have been developed that can move at great depths (you know, I can say at great depths) and at an intercontinental distance. <...>. This is just great.

They have low noise, high maneuverability and are practically invincible to the enemy. “The tools that can resist them do not exist in the world today,” Putin said.

He noted that underwater drones can carry not only nuclear, but also conventional munitions. “This will allow them to hit a wide variety of targets, including carrier groups, coastal fortifications and infrastructure,” the president said.

The Ministry of Defense chose the name of the drone by a vote on its website – Poseidon won. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in February 2019 that Poseidon successfully passed the tests at the naval test site.

“Poseidon” is able to reach speeds of more than 200 km / h and dive to a depth of at least 1 kilometer. The cruising range is limited only by the service life of the nuclear fuel.

“Sarmat” is a complex with a heavy intercontinental missile, its weight exceeds 200 tons, the firing range is 18 thousand km. The missile has a short active flight segment, which complicates air defense work.

Putin also spoke about the development of Sarmat for the first time in 2018. “It has the ability to attack targets from both the North and South Poles. “Sarmat” is a very formidable weapon, no due to its characteristics, even promising missile defense systems can interfere with it, ”said the statement.

Makeev (developer of Sarmat) Vladimir Degtyar, Director General of the State Rocket Center, said that the rocket is capable of flying around the world. The head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, promised that the first Sarmat missiles will enter service in the Krasnoyarsk Territory no later than in the autumn of 2022.

In April, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the successful launch of the Sarmat from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. This is the first launch in the test program.

How do Russia and the US now limit each other’s weapons?

US authorities have warned that the development of a weapon like the Poseidon raises serious concerns.

We have repeatedly warned that “Skyfall (“Petrel”) and “Poseidon” are terrible projects.<...> [Россия] These projects should be shelved,” Marshall Billingsley, the former US president’s special envoy for gun control, said in 2020. He called these Russian projects “a huge waste of money”.

After the Sarmat was launched in April, the Pentagon said it did not see the test as a threat. The US Department of Defense said Russia had duly informed the US prior to the test.

Currently, the Strategic Agreement on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Assault Weapons (START-3) between Russia and the United States is in force. It was first signed by countries in 2010 and provides for both countries to reduce the number of nuclear warheads to 1550. The number of shells launched against submarines and strategic bombers, as well as intercontinental missiles, should not exceed 700. The number of deployed and undeployed ICBMs and SLBMs and heavy bombers – should not exceed 800.

The deal expired in February last year. But Moscow and Washington extended it until February 5, 2026. The Kremlin noted that prolonging the agreement would keep relations between Washington and Moscow clear and predictable, “allowing the maintenance of strategic stability in the world, and would also have a positive impact on the international situation and contribute to the development of nuclear weapons.” disarmament process.” The Pentagon reported that maintaining the agreement gives the two countries time and space to explore new arms control mechanisms.