Russian navy receives 1st submarine carrying nuclear-powered drones

MOSCOW, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Russian navy on Friday received the first submarine Belgorod which is designed to carry Poseidon nuclear-powered underwater drones.

The submarine opens new opportunities for Russia to implement various scientific research tasks and conduct rescue operations in remote areas of the oceans, Nikolay Yevmenov, commander-in-chief of the Navy, said at a ceremony.

The nuclear-powered Belgorod was floated out in April 2019 and was initially planned to be delivered to the navy in 2020. Two more such submarines will be commissioned by 2027.

According to a previous TASS report, the Poseidon drone is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 2 megatons to destroy enemy naval bases. It can travel fast in an intercontinental range with an operational depth of over 1 km.