In the midst of rumours over the ship’s whereabouts, a satellite photograph of the Barents Sea revealed the Belgorod submarine carrying the Poseidon super torpedo.
The Russian nuclear submarine Belgorod was seen travelling in a floating state east of the Barents Sea, in the Arctic belt region, in a commercial satellite image supplied by Airbus and the US Geological Survey (USGS) that was reviewed by Naval News on October 5.
Regarding the information, the Russian Defense Ministry stays silent.
The information was released after an unnamed European defence official warned that the Belgorod submarine would be stationed in the North Sea to test Poseidon nuclear torpedoes, according to a report in the Italian newspaper La Republica on October 3. Pentagon officials were coy about the Belgorod earlier this week while emphasising that the US had not altered its readiness level in response to the Russian warship’s activity.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated that Belgorod is a specialised submarine with a focus on transporting Poseidon nuclear torpedoes (also known as Sea God), which are regarded as one of Russia’s most potent superweapons. Additionally, submarines are capable of transporting unmanned submersibles, tiny nuclear submarines, and subterranean nuclear reactors that are used to power underwater sensing equipment.
Originally, the vessel was constructed using the design of a Project 949A ballistic missile nuclear submarine, which was constructed on July 24, 1992. Due to a lack of funding, the project was later put on hold, leaving the ship unfinished. The Sevmash factory restarted the Belgorod shipbuilding project on December 20, 2012, using a new design.
On July 8, the ship was delivered to the Russian navy and put into service before embarking on a training voyage.
Belgorod is 184 metres long, 15 metres broad, and while diving, it can hold 30,000 tonnes of weight. Given that it is longer than the Project 941 Akula class submarine, which was the largest submarine ever built, it is regarded as the longest submarine in the world. The submarine has an unlimited range, a top speed of 59 km/h while floating, and a runtime of 120 days without recharging.
Six Poseidon nuclear torpedoes, one of the six superweapons Vladimir Putin of Russia revealed in March 2018, are carried by the Belgorod submarine. Poseidon is a nuclear-powered unmanned submarine that can carry either conventional or nuclear warheads.
In order to perform a surprise strike that destroys the body, Poseidon can approach enemy territory at vast depths, accelerate to chop off his tail when detected, and then resume stealth mode at low speed. military facilities, carrier groups, and crucial adversary targets.
The nuclear-powered propulsion system of Poseidon has successfully undergone testing by Russian scientists, demonstrating the weapon’s limitless operating potential and 200 km/h top speed.
