The Base Of The Russian Poseidon Super-capable Super Torpedo Carrier Will Operate Next Year, Not Far From America

Bolgorod Submarine Launch. (Source: TASS / Oleg Kuleshov)

JAKARTA - The construction of coastal infrastructure facilities for new naval bases to accommodate the nuclear-powered submarines Belgorod and Khabarovsk carrying the Poseidon nuclear-capable super torpedo is planned to be completed early next year, a source close to the Russian Ministry of Defense told TASS.

"The construction of coastal infrastructure facilities to accommodate two special destination submarines in Kamchatka will be completed early next year," the source said, launching TASS March 27.

The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east, overlooking the Bering Sea, not far from the State of Alaska, United States. The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk form the eastern and western coastlines of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The new Division formed by the Russian Pacific Fleet in its submarine troops will also consist of submarines other than the Belgorod and Khabarovsk submarines. The submarine with this new special purpose "will handle strategic deterrence," he explained.

Citing The National News, a massive update of Russia's nuclear base comes amid rising tensions between the US and China over its influence in the Western Pacific.

As TASS previously reported, the Belgorod nuclear-powered submarine will continue its duties in Russia's Pacific Fleet. The submarine will receive the first ammunition payload consisting of the Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo.

The submarine handover ceremony, the official name Project 09852 to Fleet without basic weapons, will take place on July 8, 2022. Currently, Belgorod is undergoing operational evaluation in Russia's Northern Fleet.

Meanwhile, the nuclear-powered submarine Project 09851 Khabarovsk, is in its final stages of construction at the Sevmash Shipyard.

Russia is known to have nuclear submarines that can survive underwater for months, including the new Borey-class ship, at least three of which are scheduled to be stationed in the Pacific region.

The Borey class can carry 16 Bulava ballistic missiles launched from submarines. Each Bulava can carry six nuclear warheads weighing 140 megatons.

In comparison, the bomb that killed about 80,000 people when it was dropped in the Japanese city of REMOTE, in the Second World War weighed 18 kilotons.

The Poseideon Torpedo is about 24 meters long, according to the US Naval Institute, and has been described as a nuclear-armed drone that also relies on nuclear-powered propulsion power, allowing it to reach targets thousands of kilometers from its launch point.