"It seems clear that the United States was not aware of the Status-6 when they negotiated the new START Treaty ". This was stated by Rose Gottemoeller, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
"To date it is a threat to the United States, but if that system were transformed into a mass-produced operational weapon, it would become really worrying."
"Unacceptable damage"
It's called "Ocean Multipurpose System: Status-6". It is a torpedo equipped with a nuclear warhead, capable of "causing unacceptable damage, contaminating vast enemy coastal areas and rendering them completely lifeless for long periods of time".
The nuclear-powered drone should have a speed of 105 km / h and a maximum range of 10.000 kilometers (more than 6200 miles) and will be able to bypass the NATO defense system.
Also curious is the way in which the "Status-6" has been unveiled. During the filming of the meeting between Vladimir Putin and the defense officials, which took place in Sochi last November 10th, some Russian broadcasters "carelessly" resumed the information of the ultra-secret project in the hands of a general. The prototype, it says, should be ready by 2019 with sea trials planned for the following year.
The reaction of the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was also particularly moderate. "It is true, some classified information has been taken from the cameras. Some of them we have canceled, but we have not been able to withdraw the whole shot. We hope that this will not happen again in the future".
Despite the "comprehensive" warning from a good family man, few really believe that such a project has escaped due to a fortuitous coincidence to the Russian military, considering that the meeting focused on the countermeasures to be adopted in a hypothetical confrontation against NATO and United States.
Nothing is known about Status-6. According to the only photo available, taken from the video, the torpedo should be launched from the relatively recent nuclear-powered 0985 and 09851 submarines, considered an evolution of the Oscar II. It should be noted that Russia is not the only country that is working on submarine drones, but it is certainly the only one (at least officially) to work on what appears to be a devastating "dirty bomb".
That official definition to describe the system, "unacceptable damage", leaves room for different interpretations.
