{"id":53142,"date":"2018-01-12T20:15:22","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T20:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/12\/russias-nuclear-underwater-drone-is-real-and-in-the-nuclear-posture-review\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:52:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:52:18","slug":"russias-nuclear-underwater-drone-is-real-and-in-the-nuclear-posture-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2018\/01\/12\/russias-nuclear-underwater-drone-is-real-and-in-the-nuclear-posture-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s nuclear underwater drone is real and in the Nuclear Posture Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/01\/12\/nuclear-posture-review-draft-leaks-new-weapons-coming-amid-strategic-shift\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">draft of the Pentagon\u2019s Nuclear Posture Review<\/a> confirms the existence of an underwater nuclear drone made and operated by Russia, a capability the U.S. Defense Department had not previously publicly acknowledged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn addition to modernizing \u2018legacy\u2019 Soviet nuclear systems, Russia is developing and deploying new nuclear warheads and launchers,\u201d stated an unclassified draft of the nuclear posture review <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/trump-nuclear-posture-review-2018_us_5a4d4773e4b06d1621bce4c5?q4\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">first published by the Huffington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese efforts include multiple upgrades for every leg of the Russian nuclear triad of strategic bombers, sea-based missiles and land-based missiles. Russia is also developing at least two new intercontinental range systems, a hypersonic glide vehicle and a new intercontinental, nuclear-armed undersea autonomous torpedo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A chart laying out Russian nuclear delivery vehicles developed over the past decade spells out the capability yet again, including a small illustration for an \u201cAUV,\u201d or autonomous underwater vehicle, called Status-6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The black and white graphic posted by the Huffington Post makes it difficult to see whether the capability has been deployed. However, the Russian undersea drone \u2014 which is nicknamed \u201cKanyon\u201d by the Pentagon and goes by the full name Ocean Multipurpose System Status-6 \u2014 has been tested at least once.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/nuclear-triad\/2018\/01\/12\/nuclear-posture-review-draft-leaks-new-weapons-coming-amid-strategic-shift\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2861286.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Nuclear Posture Review draft leaks; new weapons coming amid strategic shift<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The draft reaffirms the need for a full nuclear triad and appears to be in line, at least somewhat, with President Trump\u2019s public desires.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Nov. 27, 2016, U.S. intelligence detected Status-6 after it was launched from a Sarov-class submarine used to test and validate new tech, the <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/russia-tests-nuclear-capable-drone-sub\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Free Beacon reported<\/a> in December 2016, citing unnamed Pentagon sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russian reports indicate it could be outfitted with a 100-megaton nuclear warhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Status-6 was built by Rubin Design Bureau, the largest of Russia\u2019s three submarine manufacturers. According to a document shown on Russian television, the drone has a range of 6,200 miles, a top speed in excess of 56 knots and can descend to depths of 3,280 feet below sea level, the Beacon reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was designed to be launched from at least two different classes of nuclear submarines, including the Oscar-class, which can carry four Status-6 drones at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The nuclear posture review reaffirms the United States\u2019 commitment to the nuclear triad \u2014 or the country\u2019s inventory of ballistic missile submarines, ICBMs and nuclear-capable bombers \u2014 but offers no sign that the Pentagon is interested in developing unmanned undersea vehicles capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it has been widely speculated that the Air Force\u2019s newest bomber, the B-21 currently under development, could be optionally manned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the final draft of the Nuclear Posture Review could remove references to the Status-6 program, it appears the Pentagon confirmed the existence of the weapon as a way to illustrate what it sees as major advantage of the Russian nuclear weapons program: its diversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The review notes that Russia is increasing the number of platforms that could be equipped either with a nuclear or conventional payload, allowing it to expand its nuclear arsenal without violating the New START treaty. It is also developing a ground-launched cruise missile and has multiple classes of nuclear submarines and varieties of ICBMs and air-launched cruise missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The United States is concerned about Russia\u2019s continued development of \u201cincreasingly diverse and expanding nuclear capabilities,\u201d especially coupled with Moscow\u2019s perception that it could conduct a nuclear attack as a way to \u201c \u2019de-escalate\u2019 a conflict on terms favorable to Russia,\u201d the review stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese mistaken perceptions increase the prospect for dangerous miscalculation and escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A draft of the Pentagon\u2019s Nuclear Posture Review confirms the existence of an underwater nuclear drone made and operated by Russia, a capability the U.S. Defense Department had not previously publicly 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confirms the existence of an underwater nuclear drone made and operated by Russia, a capability the U.S. Defense Department had not previously publicly acknowledged.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2018\/01\/12\/russias-nuclear-underwater-drone-is-real-and-in-the-nuclear-posture-review\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-12T20:15:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:52:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Valerie Insinna\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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