VLADIVOSTOK, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia is scheduled to conduct the first sea trials of its Poseidon unmanned underwater drone this summer, according to a Russian news outlet on Friday.
The trials will be conducted from the nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod with a primary focus on assessing the performance of the drone's nuclear engine, said the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
The experimental nuclear-powered submarine Belgorod, equipped with the Poseidon unmanned underwater drones, is set to be commissioned into the fleet in 2023, according to Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.
The Poseidon is an unmanned underwater vehicle powered by a nuclear engine that primarily serves as a nuclear torpedo, capable of delivering a nuclear payload to the shores of potential adversaries.
It is 20 meters long, 1.8 meters in diameter and weighs 100 tons. ■
