The nuclear torpedoes, to be fired by submarines, would create ‘zones of extensive radioactive contamination making them unsuitable for military or economic activity for a long period, ‘ says the document, which is clearly visible in the footage for several seconds.
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This sort of assymetric nuclear response is telling of the lengths to which Russia under President Vladimir Putin may be willing to go to preserve the credibility of its nuclear deterrence in the face of two U.S. programs that keep Russian defense planners awake at night – the ever-controversial United States missile shield plans and Prompt Global Strike. According to Putin’s spokesman, the image, containing “secret data”, should not have appeared in the media, and TV stations are deleting the footage from their websites. “We hope that this won’t happen again”.
In June, Putin announced Russian Federation would deploy 40 new missiles and this week he said the country had no choice but to develop weapons capable of defeating a USA missile-shield.
Felgenhauer also said the designs look like a “reincarnation of an old idea”.
“It would cause a highly radioactive tsunami”. Russia, therefore relies on nuclear weapons as a deterrent and offensive strike capability.
And the Ocean Multipurpose System apparently has its own nuclear propulsion plant, based on analysis by Miasnikov, which would make a range of 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) feasible.
Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon official, said the document appears to be an accidental disclosure that confirms the Free Beacon report that the weapon is created to attack coastal cities.
But Putin said that “regrettably, our concerns and cooperation proposals haven’t been taken into account”.
Yet, on Thursday, Radio Sputnik, which is part of the Russian state news agency Sputnik, featured an interview with Igor Korotchenko, chief editor of the magazine Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense), who provided further details about the Status-6 weapons system.
“References to an Iranian or North Korean nuclear missile threat are just used to hide the true plans – their real goal is to neutralise the strategic nuclear potential of other nuclear states… above all, of course, Russia”, Mr Putin told the generals in Sochi, a Black Sea resort.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on November 7 that “Moscow’s nuclear saber-rattling raises questions about Russian leaders’ commitment to strategic stability, their respect for norms against the use of nuclear weapons, and whether they respect the profound caution nuclear-age leaders showed with regard to the brandishing of nuclear weapons”.
