The Pentagon is alarmed by Russia’s new military developments. With some experts saying that the U.S. is still more advanced in terms of military equipment than Russia, other seem to disagree.
It has been reported that the Kremlin is developing a nuclear-armed drone submarine, which would pose a threat to ports and coastal areas of the U.S.
According to The Washington Times citing its sources in the Pentagon, the secret Russian project is codenamed ‘Kanyon’.
Other details about the project are known to a limited circle of officials in the U.S. government. A Pentagon official refused to comment on the project when asked for details by the newspaper.
However, The Washington Post managed to cite alarmist comments by anonymous U.S. officials, who, according to the newspaper, are familiar with the ‘Kanyon’ project.
The system is being designed as an autonomous submarine strike vehicle equipped with nuclear missiles ranging in size to “tens” of megatons, the officials said. “This is an unmanned sub that will have a high-speed and long-distance capability,” one official told The Washington Times.
However, the anonymous source noted that it will take the Russians several years to develop and test such a submarine drone. The newspaper also noted that U.S. Navy is itself working on the development of similar submarines without crews, giving such efforts “a high priority.”
Russia’s brand new Combat Helicopter and Main Battle Tank
Robert Kehler, former commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told the newspaper that the Pentagon is “watching the Russian nuclear modernization effort very carefully.”
However, he added that he was not “particularly bothered” by the efforts of the Russians as long as they stay within the limits of the New START arms treaty, which is an agreement between Russia and the U.S. to limit strategic offensive weapons signed in 2010 in Prague. According to experts, both of the sides have complied with the treaty so far.
ValueWalk reported last week that Russia’s aircraft manufacturing company began working on the development of an advanced high-speed combat helicopter (PSV). The combat helicopter, capable of accelerating up to 500 kilometers (311 miles) per hour, is expected to enter commercial production by the year of 2022
Earlier in 2015, the Kremlin boasted its cutting-edge T-14 Armata main battle tank. The company-manufacturer of the tank, Uralvagonzavod, claims this deadliest new weapon is invisible to enemy radars.
However, it is unclear whether the claim is true or not, but one thing is certain: the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to replace 70 percent of the nation’s tanks with the cutting-edge T-14 Armata.
With plans to produce 2,300 T-14 Armata tanks by 2020, there are little details available for the public about the tank’s specifications, which is why it creates certain difficulties for military experts to assess its capabilities and compare it to NATO and U.S. main battle tanks.
Russia is developing Nuclear Submarines, Supersonic Missiles, Laser Weapons
Apart from building fourth generation submarines, Russia is developing a nuclear submarine of the fifth generation. Russian militaries and engineers intend to make the nuclear submarine to be synchronized with drones and other aircraft.
Russia is also working on the Yu-71 hypersonic missile, which is becoming a headache for NATO and the Pentagon. The Yu-71 is being developed by Russian and Indian engineers, and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads at the speed of 10 times faster than sound, while its unique mobility is capable of outmaneuvering any anti-aircraft equipment.
The project is classified, but according to unverified data, the Yu-71 is expected to become operational in the Russian army by 2025.
Since 2009, Russia has been working on the development of a strategic missile-carrier bomber, which could replace Tu-23M3 in the future. The bomber would be equipped with an arsenal, including newest hypersonic cruise missiles.
Russia intends to fully replace its bombers with the new development by the end of the 2020s.
The S-500 Prometheus is Russia’s new generation surface-to-air missile system, the main task of which is fighting off medium-range ballistic missiles, hypersonic cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic planes, satellites and orbital platform. It is expected that first S-500 will be introduced into the Russian army by the end of 2017.
Russia is also focused on modernizing the Beriev A-60 Soviet/Russian airborne laser laboratory. In 2009, a laser ray emitted from A-60 destroyed an object flying 930 miles from the ground. Apart from space objects, the airborne laser laboratory is capable of destroying low-flying aircraft targets such as aircraft with ballistic missiles.
U.S. vs Russia: global war with no point of return
But could all those above-mentioned military developments pose a threat to U.S. security? This is a question ValueWalk asked Igor Korotenko, a Russian military expert, who is often published in Russian media.
“So far, what we see in the media is a constant flow of reports and reviews of Russia’s promising military equipment. Certainly, Russia’s new developments as well as its large-scale military modernization program pose a significant threat to the U.S., but will all – or at least some – of these developments be realized?” Korotenko said during the interview.
The expert also noted that although such advanced military developments, if realized, could potentially destroy “a few NATO states,” the U.S. would respond with much more advanced military hardware, and thus unleash a global war “with no point of return.”
ValueWalk reported last week that some experts see a high probability of the beginning of a large-scale war between the U.S. and Russia as a result of encounter between warplanes over the Baltics or the North Sea during military drills.
