Posted on 09/08/2015 8:01:54 AM PDT by lbryce
Russia is building a drone submarine to deliver large-scale nuclear weapons against U.S. harbors and coastal cities, according to Pentagon officials.
The developmental unmanned underwater vehicle, or UUV, when deployed, will be equipped with megaton-class warheads capable of blowing up key ports used by U.S. nuclear missile submarines, such as Kings Bay, Ga., and Puget Sound in Washington state.
Details of the secret Russian nuclear UUV program remain closely held within the U.S. government.
The Pentagon, however, has code-named the drone “Kanyon,” an indication that the weapon is a structured Russian arms program.
The nuclear drone submarine is further evidence of what officials say is an aggressive strategic nuclear forces modernization under President Vladimir Putin. The building is taking place as the Obama administration has sought to reduce the role of nuclear arms in U.S. defenses and to rely on a smaller nuclear force for deterrence.
Officials familiar with details of the Kanyon program said the weapon is envisioned as an autonomous submarine strike vehicle armed with a nuclear warhead ranging in size to “tens” of megatons in yield. A blast created by a nuclear weapon that size would create massive damage over wide areas.
A megaton is the equivalent of 1 million tons of TNT.
On missiles, megaton warheads are called “city busters” designed to destroy entire metropolitan areas or to blast buried targets. An underwater megaton-class drone weapon would be used to knock out harbors and coastal regions, the officials said, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the information.
“This is an unmanned sub that will have a high-speed and long-distance capability,
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
“The building is taking place as the Obama administration has sought to reduce the role of nuclear arms in U.S....”
Here we go AGAIN. Obama’s weakness just keeps opening new doors for our enemies.....deja vu...
Could a nation could acquire the weapon with the right hacking skills?
It actually makes a lot of sense.
The cost of building a normally manned sub is enormous largely because you’re building something that humans can live inside of for long periods. Remove the livable space and you can build a much smaller stealthier sub.
Or maybe another red line...
Makes no sense because you get a lot less control of drones which can be hacked.
Russia will attach the US. They are planning very hard and have the Muslim willing to join.
What would be the launch procedures? I assume Ivan currently uses the same labor intensive and double checking procedures as the US to launch nukes? Would the drone receive some signal that could be potentially hacked to launch?
My guess is they will lose this one like they do the manned ones.
5.56mm
Is Russia bound by the treaties of their predecessor? For that matter, is the U.S. bound by a treaty with a political entity which no longer exists? Also, the 1987 INF treaty only pertained to ground launched weapons.
More of Obama’s and Hillary’s “RESET” ???
We should nuke all beluge whales, just to be safe.
Think of it this way. You hook in your laptop, give it a program to hug the bottom of the ocean all the way to New York, surface, launch, submerge and return. No other data transfer is necessary other than for navigation.
Pretty Scary.
Unless the USA gets a strong leader in the WH and rebuilds our relations with our Allies (not to mention our military), nuclear war is coming. My only solace is our Tridents. MAD will work against Russia and China. However, the Middle East is going nuclear within the next 5-10 years initiated by the Iranians who care nothing about MAD. Watch as Saudi Arabia and others buy or build nukes.
I hope I'm gone when it occurs, but I currently cry for our children and the World in general. Gawd, I miss Ronald Reagan. Hell, I'd even take W. Bush.
“... such as Kings Bay, Ga., and Puget Sound in Washington state.”
That’s Bangor, WA on Hood Canal (a fjord). Puget Sound is a region stretching from Tacoma to Whidbey Island with Seattle roughly in the middle and no sub bases. Hood Canal lies to the west of Puget Sound.
Built by the Russkies, eh? Will the software be loaded with spyware?
Don’t let the Whale beach!
Now, what was the downside of vaporizing both the Soddies and the Iranians?
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