MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. The naval component of Russia's nuclear triad surpasses the combined capabilities of the NATO fleet - both surface and underwater - by its striking power and versatility, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) told TASS.
"In terms of the combined potential of striking power (in megatons), the Russian submarine fleet surpasses the entire surface and submarine fleets of NATO, becoming an independent and the most formidable force in the world, capable of deterring any potential aggressor," he said.
Besides the strike potential, the expert added, the modernization program of the Russian Navy, recognized by Forbes as the largest since the Cold War, is aimed not at simply increasing the number of ships, but at creating multifunctional missile carriers that radically change the balance of power. For comparison, the United States relies on universal Tomahawk cruise missile submarines, which are intercepted by an advanced missile defense system. Also in October, the Columbia strategic nuclear submarine was laid down, which will be armed with more powerful and long-range Trident II D5 ballistic missiles, which do not have global coverage and are also vulnerable to the modern means of interception.
In Russia, Stepanov continues, six different types of submarines are being built simultaneously, carrying weapons for various tasks — the Khabarovsk submarine (of the Yasen class) has a reputation for being the most latent and is armed with three types of cruise missiles; Kalibr has a long range and can be used in a nuclear version; the larger Onyx is designed to combat mobile surface targets; the Zircon is smaller in size, but is practically invulnerable to NATO airborne missile defense systems and is not subject to interception due to hypersonic speed.
However, the Poseidon nuclear torpedoes, carried by the Belgorod and Khabarovsk submarines, are considered to be weapons capable of determining the outcome of a global confrontation alone. These devices, driven by a nuclear installation, are capable of carrying out autonomous search and destruction of targets at an unlimited distance and at a depth of about a kilometer. Their low noise and high speed, reaching 185 km/h, make them invisible to any means of sonar monitoring and interception.
The power of Poseidon, according to the expert, is not limited to the destruction of military bases or cities. Its warhead can carry a charge of up to 20 megatons, which exceeds the power of any existing intercontinental ballistic missiles.
"The purpose of this type of global-action weapon is associated with the ability to change landscapes and coastlines of entire continents beyond recognition. Each of the submarines, carrying six Poseidons, is a superweapon capable of inflicting strategic defeat on any country in an autonomous mode and changing the rules of the game on the global map of the unfolding largest-scale confrontation in history," Stepanov concludes.