Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin boasted on Friday that Russia will soon unveil the “new weapons [Russia] once announced” in a cryptic update.
Speaking to the press after his visit to Tajikistan, Putin hinted at the weapons while subtly threatening the US.
“We’re finalizing it, and I think we’ll have the opportunity to announce soon the new weapons we once announced,” Putin said, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti.
Putin made his cryptic threat while referencing Washington’s reluctance to agree to a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) proposed by the Kremlin.
“We’re ready to negotiate if it’s acceptable and beneficial for the Americans, for the American side. If not, then no. But that would be a shame, because then there would be nothing left in terms of deterrence in the area of strategic offensive weapons,” Putin added.
But what new weapons could Putin be referring to?
Russia’s Wunderwaffe
While Putin only hinted that the weapon, which RIA Novosti said is undergoing successful testing, was announced before, he made no further elaborations.
However, in 2018, Putin did announce five major nuclear-capable weapons programs dubbed Putin’s superoruzhie (super weapons) – and later a sub-strategic system, the Zircon, as per a 2021 research by think tank Chatham House:
- RS-28 Sarmat – liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
- Avangard – hypersonic glide vehicle
- Poseidon – nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle
- 9M730 Burevestnik – nuclear-powered cruise missile
- Kh-47M2 Kinzhal – air-launched hypersonic ballistic missile
- 3M22 Zircon – scramjet-powered hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile
Of the six, only the Burevestnik and Poseidon have to come to fruition.
Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile
Burevestnik is supposed to be a game-changer as a missile with practically unlimited range due to the use of a nuclear reactor for propulsion.
Russia is believed to have planned to test the weapon in August, around the time of Putin’s Alaska summit with US President Donald Trump.
However, earlier tests have had mixed outcomes: of around 13 known launches, only two are considered partially successful – once in November 2017, and the other in January 2019, as noted by The Diplomat, which cited its own US intelligence sources.
Little is known about the specifications of the missile as it remains experimental. Speculators believe it is launched with a scramjet, with the nuclear reactor taking over mid-flight.
It is also supposed to fly low to avoid radar detection, with an unpredictable flight path that further complicates its interception.
Experts have warned that rocket motor failures or off-course flights could scatter radioactive material over vast areas if the missile’s nuclear reactor is compromised.
Poseidon nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle
The Poseidon (NATO name: Kanyon), previously known by the Russian codename Status-6, is a nuclear-powered, unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) developed by Russia.
In other words – the submarine cousin of the Burevestnik, also with practically an unlimited range. Though Russia called it a drone, it can also be described as a nuclear-powered torpedo.
“They are very low noise, have high maneuverability and are practically indestructible for the enemy. There is no weapon that can counter them in the world today,” Putin said in 2018 while discussing the weapon’s development.
An article by the US Naval Institute in May 2022 said it “has the potential to be both a strategic and tactical nuclear weapon and does not fall within the weapon definitions of the New START treaty,” which raises concerns of its use.
But compared to the Burevestnik, the Poseidon appears to be more ready.
In January 2023, Russian media TASS claimed that Russia had already produced the first batch of Poseidon to be deployed by the Belgorod nuclear submarine, according to Reuters.
Back in 2019, Russia also claimed to have planned to put 32 Poseidons on combat duty without specifying the timeframe – a plan likely stalled by the material setback from the Ukraine invasion.
Will we see Putin’s flying wunderwaffe or swimming wunderwaffe first? Only the Kremlin leader knows – but that is assuming he was alluding to one of his superweapons on Friday.