Has Russia confirmed its status? Media: Russia tested a giant nuclear torpedo Unmanned submarine torpedo status 6

Ocean multi-purpose system"Status-6" (new weapon of retaliation) Pentagon sources have confirmed that Russia is testing a new type of weapon - a giant torpedo with a terrifyingly powerful thermonuclear warhead, known as "Status-6", writes Popular Mechanics. "It's very bad news", the US military reported. According to US intelligence, the tests took place on November 27. The torpedo was fired from the submarine special purpose B-90 "Sarov", details unknown. The author of a material published in The Washington Free Beacon on this topic calls the Russian underwater vehicle revolutionary: a torpedo with a nuclear power plant capable of moving at a speed of 90 knots at a depth of up to a kilometer. The range of the "Status" is 10 thousand kilometers, the size of the warhead is 6.5 meters. According to the Americans, a thermonuclear charge with a power of up to 100 megatons can be placed there. Detonated off the coast of the United States, it would cause a giant tsunami that would wipe out coastal states along with naval bases, airfields and military factories. According to experts, “Status-6” is Russia’s new asymmetric response to the US deployment of the global system missile defense. The creation of a giant torpedo first became known a year ago, when at a government meeting on military issues a tablet with a description of the new weapon was captured by television cameras. The Kremlin called the “exposure” of secret information an “accident.” However, a number of political scientists consider it a deliberate “leak” and disinformation: according to the deadlines indicated in the tablet, the “Tsar Torpedo” was planned to be created in 2019. Special-purpose submarines will be used as a carrier of the “Status” - in addition to the Sarov, these are the Belgorod project 09852 Antey and the Khabarovsk project 09851, which are currently being modernized. Officially, the submarines are called carriers of deep-sea vehicles and have a docking unit in the bottom, which makes them the burden cannot be detected either from land or from satellite. The description of the system says that it is intended, among other things, to cause guaranteed unacceptable damage to the enemy by creating zones of extensive radioactive contamination on the coast, unsuitable for human life for a long time. A cobalt bomb fits this description - thermonuclear weapon, described by one of the creators of American atomic weapons, Leo Szilard. The outer shell of such ammunition consists of cobalt-59, and its explosion guarantees the destruction of all living things.

Tests cobalt bomb was never carried out due to the unsuitability of the affected areas for development and the risk of destroying the entire biosphere of the Earth - according to calculations, this would require only 510 tons of cobalt. However, such a bomb and a giant torpedo as a means of delivery can be used as a deterrent weapon - together with the Perimeter system, which is on combat duty, guaranteeing a retaliatory strike with the full power of Russia's nuclear forces even if destroyed command posts and Strategic Missile Forces personnel.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Peskov commented on the footage about the secret system “Status-6” on TV. “Indeed, some secret data was captured by the camera, so they were subsequently deleted,” Peskov said regarding news from a number of Russian television channels about a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on defense issues. Putin's press secretary said he was not aware of any organizational measures in connection with the incident. “But in the future we will certainly take preventive measures to prevent this from happening again,” he promised. Channel One and NTV showed footage on November 9 showing materials about the ocean-going multi-purpose concept “Status-6”. Bloggers later drew attention to them. From the materials captured by television cameras, it is clear that new system designed to hit important enemy economic targets in the coastal area and cause guaranteed unacceptable damage to the country's territory by creating zones of extensive radioactive contamination.

On Monday, November 9, during a meeting on the development of the military-industrial complex with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin television journalists filmed documents about the classified “Ocean multi-purpose system “Status-6”. Press secretary of the head of state Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the cameras of federal channels actually captured materials that were not intended for wide publicity.

“Indeed, some secret data was caught on camera, so it was subsequently deleted. We hope that this will not happen again,” the presidential press secretary said.

Peskov said he was not yet aware of anyone being punished for the incident, but promised that preventive measures would be taken to ensure such leaks did not happen again.

What is Status-6?

Status-6 is an ocean-going multi-purpose system that is being developed by the design bureau for the design of submarines of all classes of OJSC TsKB MT Rubin. Materials filmed by journalists allow us to conclude that the main component of the system is a torpedo (designated as a “self-propelled underwater vehicle”), equipped nuclear reactor. She carries nuclear warhead with a power of 100 Mgt (the power of the Tsar Bomba, for comparison, is 57 Mgt). Travel speed is 185 km/h, torpedo range is 10 thousand km, travel depth is up to 1000 m. Military experts note that these characteristics are capable of ensuring a breakthrough of the US anti-submarine coastal system.

The purpose of the system is “to destroy important enemy economic facilities in the coastal area and cause guaranteed unacceptable damage to the country’s territory by creating zones of extensive radioactive contamination that are unsuitable for carrying out military, economic and other activities in these zones for a long time.”

Special nuclear submarines of projects 09852 Belgorod* and 09851 Khabarovsk** are indicated as torpedo carriers. The Status-6 multi-purpose system should undergo military acceptance in 2020.

Why is Status-6 called “Sakharov’s torpedo”?

Most military experts call the Status-6 project a legacy of developments Academician Andrei Sakharov. His T-15 project, nicknamed the “Sakharov torpedo,” was an underwater self-propelled vehicle that was supposed to carry a thermonuclear charge to the enemy’s shores.

In his memoirs, Sakharov wrote about the T-15: “One of the first with whom I discussed this project was Rear Admiral Fomin... He was shocked by the “cannibalistic nature” of the project and noted in a conversation with me that sailors were accustomed to fighting an armed enemy in open battle and that the very thought of such a mass murder was disgusting to him.”

Sakharov proposed using Project 627 nuclear submarines developed in the 50s as a “vehicle for delivering” a powerful nuclear charge (100 megatons). According to his calculations, as a result of the explosion of such a bomb, a giant tsunami wave would be formed, destroying everything on the coast. The T-15 project remained at the level of drawings and sketches, since at that time submarine fleet The USSR did not have the capability to carry ballistic missiles.

What is CDB MT Rubin?

JSC "TsKB MT "Rubin" - central design bureau marine technology, one of the world leaders in the design of submarines and the leading design bureau of underwater shipbuilding in Russia. “Over more than 110 years of activity, we have accumulated vast experience in creating submarines of various classes. This experience is successfully used in the creation of not only military, but also civilian equipment. CDB MT “Rubin” has become a recognized partner of oil and gas companies in terms of developing equipment for the development of oil and gas fields on the continental shelf,” the company’s official website reports.

The Project 949AM multi-purpose nuclear submarine (NPS) Belgorod is an unfinished Russian Antey-class nuclear submarine. Laid down at the Sevmash Production Association on July 24, 1992 under serial number 664. On April 6, 1993, it was renamed Belgorod. The construction of the nuclear submarine was frozen after the sinking of the Kursk submarine of the same type in 2000.

The nuclear submarine (NPS) "Khabarovsk" of project 09851 was laid down on July 27, 2014 at JSC PA "Northern Machine-Building Enterprise" in Severodvinsk. This is one of the most secret submarine cruisers of the Russian Navy, information about the completion of nuclear submarine construction in open access No.

) random, or maybe “accidental” frame from television reports? From the very beginning, I didn’t even pay any attention to this, but then the waves of this information spread so widely across the sea of information media that I myself began to wonder what it could really be.

So, What became known from the “exposed booklet”?

A self-propelled underwater vehicle from the Status-6 ocean multi-purpose system, designed to “defeat important objects of the enemy’s economy,” has become one of the most discussed topics in the world. The drone “accidentally” demonstrated on federal channels has turned into a bone of contention for experts, some of whom consider it a subtle Kremlin “duck,” while others see in it a new embodiment of Professor Sakharov’s ideas.

The “Status-6″ system is designed to “defeat important enemy economic facilities in the coastal area and cause guaranteed unacceptable damage to the country’s territory by creating zones of extensive radioactive contamination that are unsuitable for carrying out military, economic and other activities in these zones for a long time.” . This is what almost all media quoted. What else do we know about her...

The carriers of the system are nuclear submarines of projects 09852 Belgorod and 09851 Khabarovsk, the first of which is being rebuilt into a special-purpose submarine from a carrier of cruise missiles, and the second is being built from scratch. Both ships are on the slipways of the Severodvinsk Sevmash.

The striking force of “Status” should be a self-propelled underwater vehicle with a range of 10,000 kilometers and a running depth of 1,000 meters.

The Central Design Bureau of Marine Equipment "Rubin" was chosen as the main executor of the system.

Sakharov proposed using Project 627 nuclear submarines developed in the 50s as a “vehicle for delivering” a powerful nuclear charge (100 megatons). According to his calculations, as a result of the explosion of such a bomb, a giant tsunami wave would be formed, destroying everything on the coast. The T-15 project remained at the level of drawings and sketches, since at that time the USSR submarine fleet did not have the ability to carry ballistic missiles.

“Here the approach is completely different. It is based on burning out and infecting all ports on the US coast. There are not that many of them - I know of only 17 of them, and not all of them can accommodate large ocean-going ships. This will automatically create insurmountable problems for the United States in logistics when waging war in Europe, and in obtaining resources from the occupied territories,” they are discussing on social networks.

What are the Rubin designers famous for?

Petersburg Design Bureau specializes in the design of submarines and deep-sea special equipment. In the depths of the bureau were born the Russian strategic Borei, the diesel-electric Varshavyanka operating all over the world, and the Lada submarine with an air-independent engine operating on the principle of an electrochemical generator is in the process of development.

According to official data from Sevmash’s annual reports and government contracts, the developer of Belgorod and Khabarovsk is also Rubin.

Igor Vilnit’s subordinates also have experience in creating autonomous underwater vehicles. Back in 2007, the AUV “Harpsichord”, an almost 6-meter, 2.5-ton deep-sea robot for examining bottom objects, saw the light of day. It is capable of diving 6 km into the depths of the sea and traveling 300 km without returning to the surface.

Is there evidence of the development of a “self-propelled underwater vehicle”?

There is no doubt that in the depths of Rubin they are indeed creating a promising autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicle. This is evidenced by tenders for holding components development work on the creation of a “promising current source for an AUV”, a high-pressure pumping unit for the buoyancy control system of a promising AUV”, “information and control systems and IO of a promising AUV complex”.

However, more can be gleaned from the procurement documentation detailed information it is not possible to report on the work being carried out at the bureau, so it cannot be reliably stated that the results of all of the above R&D will help Russia create that same “self-propelled underwater vehicle.” We may well be talking about a new incarnation of the already demonstrated Juno drone.

Who does “Status” report to?

If the information demonstrated to the whole world does not turn out to be a specially launched “duck”, then be happy for the addition Navy Russia new technology it still won't work. Because it will not be the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy who will give orders to the commanders of “Belgorod” and “Khabarovsk”, but the head of the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research of the Ministry of Defense, a structure separate from the fleet within the military department. Now this position is occupied by Vice Admiral, Hero of Russia Alexey Burilichev.

This formation's own fleet, subordinate directly to the Minister of Defense, is very large. In addition to submarines, nuclear deep-sea stations and uninhabited underwater vehicles, the GUGI operates the oceanographic research vessel Yantar, the experimental vessel Seliger, the rescue vessel Zvezdochka, and tugboats. Several more vessels for the department and the Sviyaga covered floating transport dock are under construction.

On amateur sites military equipment it is indicated that since 1988, Russia has been developing a robotic underwater boat-based vehicle “Skif”. There are several versions about what it is. This could be a missile that can wait for launch at the bottom of the sea, or some kind of underwater projectile that travels part of the way under water and then launches a cruise missile at a ground target. The project is being led by the Rubin Central Clinical Hospital for Medical Sciences. The same design bureau is indicated in the document that was broadcast on TV.

To top it off "Putin's favorite journalist" indicates that if there was a leak about a secret Russian torpedo, it was not the first, referring to the publication in the American edition of The Washington Free Beacon on September 8 entitled “Russia is building an armed nuclear weapons drone submarine."

In this article, the author of the publication, Bill Hertz, described the concept of this submarine and said that according to the American classification it was given the code name Kanyon, and all the details of this secret Russian program discussed only within a small circle of American government officials. At the same time, experts interviewed by Free Beacon called Kanyon a threat to US security and pointed to it as an example of “ aggressive behavior Russia." Domestic weapons lovers believe that this is the Skif project.

The name “Status-6” was never mentioned on the Russian Internet before the presentation was shown on television. After information about the secret device appeared, blogs began to discuss whether it was an accident or a deliberate leak. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, who usually refutes almost all information coming from unofficial sources, unexpectedly confirmed the fact of an accidental leak of one page from a secret presentation. At the same time, Peskov reacted specifically to blog posts, and not to publications in major media - this story did not receive much resonance before his comment. Moreover, the Kremlin spokesman said he knew nothing about whether anyone had been punished for leaking classified information. He promised to take “preventative measures to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” but stopped short of promising that those responsible would be brought to justice. After Peskov’s speech, a message appeared that journalists were prohibited from filming participants in meetings with Putin, with the exception of the president himself.

Against missile defense?

The meeting with Putin was devoted to the possibility of overcoming the American missile defense system with Russian strategic weapons.

“Over the past three years, enterprises of the military-industrial complex have created and successfully tested a number of promising weapons systems that are capable of solving combat missions in the context of a layered missile defense system. Such systems have already begun to enter troops this year. And today we’ll talk about how the development of new types of weapons is going,” Putin said, opening the meeting.

According to experts, "Status-6" is considered as a weapon that can potentially bypass missile defense, since this system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles and cannot attack targets in the deep ocean.

The American missile defense system is a strong irritant for the Russian leadership. In Moscow, despite American assurances that by deploying missile defense facilities in Europe, Washington only wants to protect its allies from attacks from rogue countries, they believe that this system is directed against Russia and is intended exclusively for the destruction of Russian ballistic missiles.

Many experts contacted by the BBC for comment said they believe the emergence of information about the new weapon is a deliberate hoax, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the West's readiness for confrontation.

A BBC source connected to the military-industrial complex said that, in his opinion, the demonstration in front of television cameras secret documents at a meeting with the president cannot be an accident, and most likely this was done in order to demonstrate Russia’s readiness to resist the Western missile defense system.

"Damage to objects"

The tactical and technical characteristics of the future nuclear torpedo are unknown. The document only contains the main indicators - depth up to 1000 meters, speed - up to 185 km per hour (the document includes kilometers per hour, and not the nodes in which the speed of marine vehicles is most often measured), range - up to 10 thousand kilometers, caliber - 1.6 meters.

Those under construction are indicated as the intended carriers on the page. nuclear submarines special purpose "Belgorod" project 09852 and "Khabarovsk" project 09851.

The document shown contains the name “Ocean multi-purpose system “Status-6”, but only one method of its application is mentioned there.

“Destruction of important enemy economic facilities in the coastal area and causing guaranteed unacceptable damage to the country’s territory by creating zones of extensive radioactive contamination that are unsuitable for carrying out military, economic and other activities in these zones for a long time,” it says.

Konstantin Sivkov, commenting on the appearance of information about System-6, said that a torpedo of such a project will most likely be quite large and will be able to carry a high-power nuclear charge up to 100 megatons.

"IN design point explosion, and the wave will rise 400-500 meters high and wash away all living things one and a half thousand kilometers deep into the United States. Moreover, explosions of such monstrous force initiate volcanic activity,” he said.

However, according to another expert, Lenta.Ru military observer Konstantin Bogdanov, it is actually too early to talk about the purpose of this torpedo. According to him, the presence of the word “multi-purpose” in the name of the project indicates that its nuclear status is not necessarily the main one.

“The combat module presented in this super torpedo can easily be intended for other purposes, including the delivery of special equipment, placement of reconnaissance equipment, and so on. We can easily get a situation where similar development work is carried out, but the actual purpose of the system may differ from what is demonstrated. But perhaps it will include this too,” he said.

Underwater arms race

As military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told the BBC, both Russia and the United States have been working in the field of military or dual-use deep-sea vehicles for many years and monitor each other’s work as much as possible. That's why new development, he believes, is unlikely to become a big sensation for the military.

“This is not a secret for the United States. They also work in this area - in the field of automatic underwater vehicles for searching and destroying submarines and uninhabited underwater vehicles,” he said.

A little more about Russian weapons: for example, and here is the opinion that The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

According to the US Nuclear Posture Review, the Russian Status-6 intercontinental autonomous nuclear torpedo is a real weapon that represents real threat. At the same time, analysts assess the reality of this threat differently.

“This is clearly a threat to America that needs to be taken into account,” says former U.S. submarine officer Brian Clark, now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

Provided that the torpedo is created, main danger for Washington lies in its ability to bypass American system missile defense.

“The US military will begin to fear that Status 6 could fool the ballistic missile defense system,” Clark notes. “However, the new torpedo will be comparable in noise level to submarines or will be even more noticeable in this regard. Like a submarine, the torpedo is powered by a nuclear propulsion system consisting of a small reactor and turbine, but there is not enough room for noise-reducing design features like floating decks and sound insulation. The US Navy must monitor these unmanned submarines using anti-submarine defense systems, including SOSUS.”

American sonars can easily detect a torpedo, but the United States does not have effective way protection from weapons like “Status-6”.

“The problem is finding a way to destroy the torpedo,” Clark says. – Submarine may abandon its plans after an unsuccessful torpedo attack or as a result of detection by sonar. But Status-6 has no crew, and will continue to move towards the target until it is physically stopped. Today, America does not have the weapons or technology that could be used to stop an underwater drone.”

"Status-6", despite all its innovativeness, is unlikely to become effective weapon.

“In general, Status-6 is not considered an effective weapon,” Clark says. - Bomber with nuclear bombs or cruise missiles controlled by a pilot who, in the event of escalation or de-escalation of the conflict, may receive an order to abandon the operation or adjust his actions. In theory, the torpedo can also be recalled, but due to technical problems or communication problems, the activation or deactivation of the projectile may fail.”

“Status-6” is unlikely to be used due to balancing on the brink nuclear war. “A torpedo is not as effective in terms of escalating a conflict, while bombers and ballistic missiles can signal to the enemy that a conflict is escalating, but without irreversible consequences,” Clark reports. “Status-6 does not give the enemy any signals other than an explosion or appearance in enemy waters, which makes it vulnerable.”

If US intelligence reports about the weapon's existence are correct, perhaps the greatest danger is that the Status-6 warhead could be lost or stolen.

“Equipping Status 6 with a nuclear warhead could expose this type of Russian nuclear weapon to loss or theft,” Clarke said. – Even if tamper-proof Russian government is unlikely to want to lose control of nuclear weapons, especially given his emphasis on escalation and self-control.”

Former Soviet and Russian representative At arms control talks, Nikolai Sokov, now a senior fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, called the concept an echo of the Soviet era.

“The concept is very old and dates back to a time when intercontinental ballistic missiles and sea-launched ballistic missiles were few and considered unreliable and vulnerable,” Sokov told The National Interest. – Today it is difficult to understand why to create a slow projectile with a power of 100 megatons. When a presentation slide was shown on Russian television a few years ago, I thought it was a ploy to alarm American intelligence. The authenticity of intelligence information about recent tests raises questions. Russia is actively working on the creation of small submarines. I readily believe that a carrier submarine is being developed with small submarines on board capable of diving to significant depths. But why equip them with 100 megaton warheads?”

Director of the Nonproliferation Program in East Asia James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies Geoffrey Lewis suggested that the slow torpedo would be used to attack coastal targets such as naval bases. “It could explode in a port, destroy ships, or simply threaten coastal cities like New York,” Lewis said. “In my opinion, America can create a defense against such attacks, although I am not sure whether it will be effective.” In my opinion, this will be easier than intercepting a missile.”