The mysterious device occupies an intermediate position between a torpedo and an unmanned submarine.
The American publication The Washington Post reports that the unmanned underwater vehicle "Poseidon" with a nuclear reactor, which Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned testing at the end of October, is difficult to classify within standard categories of weaponry.
Michael Petersen, a scientific specialist at the U.S. Naval Analysis Center, characterized the Russian development as a "Frankenstein weapon," representing a combination of components from different combat systems.
According to him, the device occupies an intermediate position between a torpedo and an unmanned submarine. Key features of the "Poseidon" include equipping it with a nuclear warhead and having a power plant that enables transoceanic travel with virtually no range limitations.
Petersen believes that this system represents a retaliatory weapon intended for use in the event of a nuclear attack. Its primary task is to deter potential adversaries by demonstrating the threat of use. The specialist noted that the decision to actually use the "Poseidon" could only be made under conditions of an ongoing or inevitable global strategic war.
Initial claims about a 100-megaton warhead turned out to be inaccurate: as early as 2018, TASS, citing a representative of the defense industry, reported that the "Poseidon" could use various types of warheads with a maximum yield of up to 2 megatons. Moreover, the very concept of a multi-meter tsunami from a large explosion initially lacked scientific justification: it was confirmed as early as the 1950s and 1960s that since waves from underwater explosions dissipate, such a weapon is inherently ineffective. Claims about a cobalt bomb—a theoretical modification of a nuclear bomb that significantly increases radioactive contamination—also turned out to be questionable.
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