--- title: "Powered Test Of Poseidon Nuclear Torpedo, Putin Claims" description: "According to the Russian leader, the test saw the mysterious weapon launched from a submarine and traveling under nuclear propulsion. According to the Russian leader, the test saw the mysterious weapon launched from a submarine and traveling under nuclear propulsion." date: "2025-10-29" modified: "2025-10-29" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/powered-test-of-poseidon-nuclear-torpedo-putin-claims" categories: - "Air" - "Naval Munitions" - "Navies" - "Nuclear" - "Nuclear Propulsion" - "Nuclear Warheads" - "Russian Navy" - "Sea" - "Status-6 Poseidon" - "Submarines" - "Torpedoes" --- # Powered Test Of Poseidon Nuclear Torpedo, Putin Claims ![President Vladimir Putin says that Russia successfully tested one of its Poseidon nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped, ultra-long-endurance torpedoes yesterday. The Russian leader’s revelation comes just two days after the announcement of a first long-range test for the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, and is part of a wider pattern of recent nuclear signaling by the Kremlin.]() *Russian Ministry of Defense screencap* President Vladimir Putin says that Russia successfully tested one of its [Poseidon]() nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped, ultra-long-endurance torpedoes yesterday. The Russian leader’s revelation comes just two days after the announcement of a first long-range test for the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, as you can read about [here](), and is part of a wider pattern of recent strategic signaling by the Kremlin. https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1983542867961565540 Of the Poseidon test, Putin said: “For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time.” The Russian president made the claims at a hospital in Moscow, while taking tea and cakes with Russian soldiers wounded in the war in Ukraine. “There is nothing like this,” Putin said of the Poseidon, also known as the 2M39 Status-6, which was one of six ‘super weapons’ that the Russian president officially [revealed during an address in 2018](). These also included the Burevestnik and different [hypersonic weapons](). https://twitter.com/Aviation_Intel/status/969312367036178432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E969312367036178432%7Ctwgr%5E57243a9edcdaf1339b242c71eb223e9e6d7c4291%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Frussia-has-built-its-first-production-batch-of-poseidon-nuclear-torpedoes-report Putin said that Poseidon is a more powerful weapon than “even our most promising Sarmat intercontinental-range missile,” another one of the weapons highlighted back in his 2018 address. Known to NATO as the SS-X-29, this heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has been developed to replace the Cold War-era [R-36M]() (SS-18 Satan). In contrast to the Sarmat, the Poseidon represents an entirely new class of weapon, with capabilities falling somewhere between a torpedo and an uncrewed underwater vessel (UUV), and with the intent to carry a nuclear warhead. The Poseidon seems to have first emerged publicly in 2015, when Russian television broadcasts caught a glimpse of it in a briefing book while covering an otherwise mundane meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and representatives of the country’s defense industries. At the time, it was shown on the chart as an “autonomous underwater vehicle.” ![]() *A screen grab of the original 2015 broadcast showing the “Status-6” system. *via [@EvShu]()** Firm details relating to Poseidon’s specifications and performance are almost non-existent. Russian media reports that each torpedo is around 66 feet, roughly six feet in diameter, and weighs 110 tons. Analysts have previously assessed it as having a range of 6,200 miles, and there have been [some claims]() that [it has a speed]() of around 100 knots, although this may well be an exaggeration. In the past, arms control experts have suggested that Poseidon is powered by a liquid-metal-cooled reactor and armed with a two-megaton warhead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_7hWSv689Q& It is assumed that the primary mission of the Poseidon is to strike coastal installations with little to no warning. There have been various reports that it’s armed with an especially ‘dirty’ warhead, which would ensure not only the usual thermonuclear destruction but also spread radioactive contamination over a wide area. There have also been [accounts]() suggesting that it could potentially be detonated further out to sea to create a kind of radioactive tsunami that could bring even more destruction and contamination to a wider coastal area, although the accuracy of these reports is debatable. Exactly how it is intended to be used in wartime is somewhat unclear, but these assumed characteristics have fueled media descriptions of the Poseidon as a ‘super torpedo’ or ‘doomsday weapon.’ However, with its nuclear propulsion, the weapon should have the ability to cruise around the oceans for extremely long periods before unleashing a surprise attack. This is especially concerning, since it would make it difficult to defend against. Like the Burevestnik, if perfected, it would provide Russia with a strategic nuclear option that avoids existing missile defense systems. https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1982515068005712015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1982515068005712015%7Ctwgr%5E3fd6c68de9228ce88c89d23626a5fd6f1d31433b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fnuclear%2Fskyfall-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-long-range-test-claimed-by-russia It would also potentially give Russia a ‘second strike’ capability that could be argued is more resilient than submarine-launched ballistic missiles, should one of its enemies try to paralyze its strategic nuclear forces in a first-strike scenario. The initial launch platform for the Poseidon is understood to be the Russian Navy’s shadowy [Project 09852 *Belgorod*](), the world’s longest submarine. The *Belgorod* — also known as K-329 — [entered service]() with the Russian Navy in 2022. It was first launched as an *[Oscar II]()* class nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine before being heavily reworked, including adding the capacity to carry six Poseidon torpedoes. ![]() *The *Belgorod* (K-329) undergoing sea trials. This was reportedly the first submarine to receive the Poseidon torpedo. *Uncredited** In the past, Russia has described the *Belgorod* as a “research” vessel able to conduct “diverse scientific expeditions and rescue operations in the most remote areas of the world ocean.” More accurately, this submarine was schemed [as a ‘mother ship’]() that can deploy a variety of deep-sea drones, a deep-diving [nuclear-powered minisub](), a submersible nuclear powerplant to power an undersea sensor network — as well as the Poseidon. https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1133811627684519937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1133811627684519937%7Ctwgr%5E57243a9edcdaf1339b242c71eb223e9e6d7c4291%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Frussia-has-built-its-first-production-batch-of-poseidon-nuclear-torpedoes-report Ultimately, Russia plans to put four more Poseidon-armed submarines into service. Beyond that, it remains possible that other platforms, too, might deploy the Poseidon, including surface vessels. There have been announcements of previous Poseidon tests. A Russian Ministry of Defense video from February 2019, seen below, purportedly showed part of an underwater test of the weapon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZuRs3DxK4 In the summer of 2021, [satellite imagery]() appeared that seemed to show a Poseidon test round, or perhaps a surrogate round of similar dimensions, aboard the special-purpose ship, *[Akademik Aleksandrov]()*, at Severodvinsk on the White Sea, suggesting a new round of at-sea trials of the torpedo. In January 2023, Russia’s state-run *TASS* news agency reported a [series]() of “throw tests” that it claimed involved mock-ups of the Poseidon, launched from the *Belgorod*. These likely involved ejection tests of the Poseidon, in which test rounds would have been deployed from the launcher and likely retrieved by a special-purpose vessel afterward, without powering up the reactor. Only days after that, *TASS* reported that “the first batch of Poseidon ammunition has been manufactured” for the *Belgorod* and [will be delivered]() “soon.” That same report said that trials had already been completed of various components related to the Poseidon, including its nuclear powerplant — Putin’s comments today suggest that earlier tests didn’t involve the powerplant being activated during at-sea launches. Presuming that the Russian media claims about the delivery of the first production examples of the Poseidon were correct, then the timing of yesterday’s test, billed as the most extensive yet, would seem to tally. On the other hand, there has so far been no independent verification that the test occurred, and there don’t appear to be very many obvious signs of a Poseidon test yesterday or recently. These might have been expected to include movements of Russian support and monitoring vessels, as well as NATO intelligence-gathering assets, including ships and aircraft. Potentially related, however, was the presence of six unidentified ships off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, an archipelago in northern Russia, situated in the Arctic Ocean, and used for many previous weapons tests. https://twitter.com/The_Lookout_N/status/1983549120536101258 Putting aside the details of the claimed test, it is notable that it was announced today, two days after the announcement of the Burevestnik test, and a week after Russia began its annual strategic nuclear drills. This flurry of activity and the explicit nature of the related announcements would appear to be tailored to respond to U.S. President Donald [Trump’s tougher stance on Russia](), as well as his own more bellicose rhetoric. Regarding Putin’s comments on the Burevestnik test, Trump said: “I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying,” and called upon the Russian leader to end the war in Ukraine “instead of testing missiles.” Trump has previously [described]() Russia as a “paper tiger,” due to the slow progress its armed forces are making in Ukraine. For Putin, meanwhile, tests of high-profile weapons like the Poseidon and Burevestnik are intended to send a clear message to the West that it won’t bow to pressure, especially over the conflict in Ukraine. ![RUSSIA - OCTOBER 22: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - 'RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY / HANDOUT' - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) A screen grab shows Russia conducting large-scale exercises of its nuclear triad testing the country's land, sea, and air-based strategic forces on October 22, 2025. (Photo by Russian Defense Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)]() *A screen grab shows an ICBM launch during large-scale exercises of the Russian nuclear triad, on October 22, 2025. *Photo by Russian Defense Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images* Anadolu* The tests should also be seen in the context of nuclear arms control discussions, with these new classes of weapons having been described by Putin as part of the response to the U.S. withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty as well as to NATO’s eastern enlargement. While other parts of Russia’s military are struggling in the face of the war in Ukraine, [crippling international sanctions](), and broader economic pressures, strategic weapons programs have generally tended to receive priority. They are also seen as key to projecting Russia’s status as a global military power. Like the Burevestnik, the Poseidon promises to be a highly versatile and lethal weapon, provided it can successfully complete its development and be fielded. Until then, further details of these mysterious programs are likely to be hard to come by, although, given the prevailing geopolitical situation, there is every sign they will be increasingly used to underscore the potency of Russia’s strategic nuclear arsenal. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()