USA and Russia locked in arms race to produce world’s first underwater nuclear drone
The aquatic stealth bomb would be a real military 'game changer' say experts
THE USA and Russia are locked in a billion pound arms race to produce the world's first underwater nuclear drone.
Vladimir Putin's military plans to develop 'Status-6' - an underwater vehicle armed with a high-yield thermonuclear warhead - have already been 'leaked' to the world.
Controlled from a submarine, it can deliver a nuke or dirty bomb to coastal areas undetected and anonymously giving military leaders virtual deniability.
Russian officials were 'forced' to confirm the existence of the programme – dubbed Kanyon by the Pentagon – after top secret documents were broadcast on Russian state-run television.
However, some believe the 'leak' may have been orchestrated by state officials to panic the Americans.
Now it's been revealed America itself is on 'the cusp' of launching its own weapons-carrying underwater drone.
Russia expert and former CIA analyst Jack Caravelli said the weapon will be a game changer.
“The Kanyon represents another example of Russia’s aggressive and innovative approach to the development of military capabilities against US and Western interests," he said.
"The possible yield of the warhead, in the megaton class, clearly is an attempt to inflict catastrophic damage against US or European naval facilities or coastal cities.”
Although Donald Trump and Putin have pledged to forge closer ties, Russia has recently challenged US interests in Ukraine and Syria.
So US military experts insist when it comes to an arms race, the US will pull out all the stops to ensure it is the winner.
Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell, said the armed services are now embracing technology.
He said the military is "on the cusp" of using 3-D printing to make a drone in less than a day that costs about $100,000 (£80,000).
Imagine, he said, "an underwater army of drones patrolling the seas armed with smart torpedoes or mines."