Russian Navy Plans Deploying 30 Nuclear-capable Underwater Drones

The Russian Navy plans to place more than 30 Poseidon strategic nuclear-capable underwater drones on combat duty.

"Two Poseidon-carrying submarines are expected to enter service with the Northern Fleet and the other two will join the Pacific Fleet. Each of the submarines will carry a maximum of eight drones and, therefore, the total number of Poseidons on combat duty may reach 32 vehicles," an unnamed source in the domestic defense industry was quoted as saying by TASS on Saturday. 

The special-purpose nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk currently being built at the Sevmash Shipyard will become one of the organic carriers of the Poseidon nuclear-capable underwater drone. Also, special-purpose submarines and Project 949A nuclear-powered underwater cruisers operational in the Russian Navy may be used as the carriers "after their appropriate upgrade," the source noted. 

TASS has no official confirmation of this information.  In his state-of-the-nation address to both houses of Russia’s parliament on March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned for the first time the country’s efforts to develop a nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle that can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and is capable of destroying enemy infrastructural facilities, aircraft carrier groups and other targets.