2019 Was An Important Year In Submarine Developments

The launch of Russia's special mission submarine Belgorod was one of the major submarine stories of 2019. The boat is significant both because of her size, and her roles. She is subject to much speculation in the West. H I Sutton

Forbes: 2019 Was An Important Year In Submarine Developments

The world submarine scene is changing fast, and 2019 feels like it has been start of a sharp rise in the rate of development. Perhaps because of a lull following the end of the Cold War, or because of the dawn of the next industrial revolution, things are hotting up.

From the perspective of the history books, in my view by far the most significant new submarine of 2019 was Belgorod. Russia’s latest super submarine, she was launched on April 24 in Severodvinsk. She is second only to the famous Typhoon Class in terms of size. But her significance is not in her size alone. She is expected to be the first submarine to carry Russia’s enigmatic super weapon, the Poseidon Intercontinental Nuclear-Powered Nuclear-Armed Autonomous Torpedo. A better term might be ‘mega torpedo’. It is around 20-30 times the size of a regular torpedo, or twice the size of a ballistic missile. It carries a 2 megaton nuclear warhead and can target coastal cities such as New York or San Francisco. And with its essentially unlimited range and deep diving capability, it will be challenging to counter.

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