MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced completion of the key stage of trials of the strategic underwater drone Poseidon.

"A few days ago you informed be about completion of the key stage of trials of the unmanned multipurpose and strategic underwater combat vehicle Poseidon," he told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at a meeting with heads of Russian Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry on Saturday.

In his state-of-the-nation address to both houses of Russia’s parliament on March 1, 2018 Russian President 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.

Poseidon drones together with their carriers - nuclear-powered submarines - make part of the so-called oceanic multipurpose system. The drone got its name following the results of open voting on the website of Russia’s Defense Ministry. A source in the defense industry earlier told TASS that the Poseidon drone being developed in Russia would be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 2 megatonnes to destroy enemy naval bases. It was also reported that its underwater trials are underway.