The United States is reportedly worried about this new maritime threat: autonomous underwater drones equipped with nuclear warheads. A weapon that Russia and its North Korean ally would have at their disposal in the context of the war in Ukraine.
As the fighting focuses on land and air, the United States is reportedly concerned about military weapons developed independently by Russia and North Korea. The concern is also reinforced by a “military alliance” between the two countries, named “Joint Sword”.
China but also Iran could also be members of this alliance, according to the American magazine specializing in arms Popular Mechanics. These weapons are “underwater unmanned vehicles” (UUV), in other words autonomous underwater weapons.
Poseidon, the Russian weapon that “would threaten entire regions”
The nations of this “Joint Sword” would have participated in joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman in May 2024. According to the independent American agency Wilson Center, Russia and North Korea have signed a defense treaty that could strengthen their military cooperation.
For the American magazine, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un have each developed very powerful nuclear submarines. On the Russian side, the Poseidon nuclear torpedo would cause concern. This weapon, presented by Vladimir Putin in 2018, was described as “a machine of the apocalypse” by the Russian president. Its length would be estimated at more than 24 meters for an estimated diameter of 2 meters.
“They are very quiet, have great maneuverability and are practically indestructible for the enemy. No weapon can counter them in today's world” explained the Russian president, when press agencies claimed that the country was producing the first nuclear charges of this weapon. This weapon would have a range of 10,000 km.
According to Popular Mechanics, this torpedo would be capable of “generating what could be described as catastrophic waves of radioactive water threatening coastal cities and entire regions.” The magazine also specifies that the machine “has the potential to decimate the environment and cause economic turmoil.”
Haeil, the North Korean tidal wave
As for Kim Jong-Un, the latter would have developed a nuclear submarine drone named Haeil, meaning tidal wave in Korean. There too, the objective being to target naval attack groups and port infrastructure.
Operational since 2022, RFI wrote in 2023, that it was all the same “it is difficult to estimate to what extent the program will be operational in real conditions outside North Korean waters.”
European officials already accused Russia of hitting submersible targets in early November when Internet cables were cut in the Baltic Sea. Faced with this, the American magazine points the finger “the US Navy's apparent lack of preparedness for these types of radioactive tsunami weapons.”
