On 20 February, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has released a video claims that the new underwater drone begun trials at sea ranges.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, new nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), also known as the Poseidon, has successfully started trials in the sea.

Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu reported on Wednesday: “The trials of the Poseidon underwater drone at sea ranges have been successfully completed. The personnel of the submarine, the carrier of Poseidon drones, have undergone training”.

In late December last year, a defense industry source also told that the testing of the UUV’s nuclear power unit was underway at sea at the moment. The source noted that the reactor had been mounted on the hull of the operating vehicle.

“During the at-sea trials of the unmanned vehicle’s power unit, the previously declared specifications of its unlimited range of use and speed of over 200 kmph were confirmed,” he said, according to news agency TASS.

For reference, the news agency early quoted a source in the Russian defense industry as saying that two Poseidon-carrying submarines are expected to enter service with the Northern Fleet and the other two will join the Pacific Fleet. Each of the submarines will carry a maximum of eight drones and, therefore, the total number of Poseidons on combat duty may reach 32 vehicles.