However, one Russian media has made a big idea and proposed a "nuclear-free" alternative, which is to modify a conventional submarine into a large torpedo, which is expected to be comparable to "Poseidon" in terms of range and power.

The powerful "Poseidon" nuclear torpedo is one of the ultimate Russian weapons that has attracted the most attention from the West in recent years. However, this weapon also has limitations, that is, as an nuclear weapon, , it cannot be used easily.

However, one Russian media has made a big brainstorm and proposed a "nuclear-free" alternative, which is to modify the conventional submarine into a large torpedo , which is expected to be comparable to " Poseidon " in terms of range and power.

Russian TOPWAR website published the view of military author Andrei Mitrofanov, who believed that the "Poseidon" nuclear torpedo is a strategic deterrent weapon, and its actual use means the beginning of the global nuclear war , so it is not a practical weapon to be expected. Therefore, Mitrofanov proposed another concept of a "Kamikaze" unmanned submarine, which does not use nuclear power propulsion, nor does it use nuclear warhead .

Metrofanov's idea may have been inspired by Ukraine's war examples of using unmanned boats to raid Russian military ports. He proposed that the unmanned submarine can be used to carry a large amount of explosives and attack enemy ports without distinction, which can effectively achieve strategic results. However, this kind of attack requires sufficient explosion power. It is enough for the "Poseidon" nuclear torpedo to carry millions of tons of equivalent nuclear warheads, but what if nuclear weapons are not used?

Theoretically, large-scale indiscriminate attacks on ports requires at least a few hundred to thousands of tons of conventional explosives , which is something that any existing missile and torpedo cannot do. However, Mitrofanov took a different approach and proposed to modify the retired "Kilo"-class 877/636 conventional submarine. Since the "Kilo" class has a displacement of 3,000 tons, after being changed to unmanned submarine , it can not only fill the conventional warhead of 1,000 tons, but also the remaining space can be modified to achieve super long-term capacity.

mtrofanov believes that the Russian Military Industry Federation (MIC) is developing a variety of underwater submarine vehicles (AUVs) and has sufficient technical reserves in autonomous navigation and control systems. Therefore, it has the ability to convert the retired "Kilo" class into an unmanned submarine. The author assumes that the unmanned submarine is code-named "DAGON".

He pointed out that the modification of the " Kilo " level must first remove most of the internal equipment, including personnel maintenance systems, command and control systems, torpedo launchers, diesel generators, , battery packs, periscope , snorkel, etc., and even oil storage tanks. It is best to even remove the submarine command tower and become a "headless submarine" to significantly reduce underwater resistance and acoustic characteristics. The most critical modification of

is to add large-scale lithium battery packs and electric propulsion systems. In this regard, Mitrofanov imitated the 11-class conventional submarine of Japan's "Canglong" class. The "Phoenix Dragon" canceled the original Stirling engine and changed it to a lithium battery propulsion method, effectively improving the battery life of underwater submarine, and the silent effect is very good.

Previously, it was reported that the underwater diving time of the "Phoenix Dragon" can be comparable to that of the nuclear submarine . Mitrofanov claimed that the underwater endurance of the "Phoenix Dragon" may reach 10,000 kilometers (the author does not agree that the "Phoenix Dragon" submarine time should be achieved at a low speed). Therefore, he believes that if the Dagon unmanned submarine is also modified with lithium batteries, it will be enough to match the Poseidon nuclear torpedo in terms of range.

"Poseidon" nuclear torpedo achieved a range of 10,000 kilometers and an underwater speed of 100 knots, but weighed only 100 tons. By comparison, the Dagon unmanned submarine (extra-large torpedo) weighs 3,000 tons, but is also within the acceptable range.

Even if Mitrofanov’s term of the endurance of “10,000 kilometers” is an exaggeration, the Dagon super-large torpedo should be able to reach a submersible distance of more than 1,000 kilometers (low-speed state), because the submarine capacity of the “Kilo” level 877/636 can reach 400 kilometers. However, the "Kilo"-class economic submarine speed is only 3 knots, and it can be greatly improved if it is replaced by lithium batteries, but it is unlikely to reach more than 20-30 knots (at the same time, the endurance of several hundred kilometers is guaranteed).

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, ignores the technical feasibility, the author Mitrofanov is very optimistic about the prospects of the "Dagon" super-large torpedo. He believes that this 3,000-ton super-large torpedo can be used as a target for coastal infrastructure, such as liquefied gas receiving terminals, oil distribution ports, oil production platforms and important bridges, etc. One or two "Dagon" super-large torpedoes can achieve the "killing" effect.

He also pointed out that the enemy surface fleet is also taking risks in carrying out anti-submarine attacks on the "Dagon" super-large torpedo. Because the 1,000-ton conventional warhead is comparable to a small nuclear bomb in terms of power, it can create a small tsunami once it is detonated, which will pose a threat to the surrounding ships, . Even if six Dagon exploded together, the UK's status as a "maritime power".

Mitrofanov believes that the greatest charm of the "Dagon" lies in its "non-nuclear" attribute, which can be used in local war . But in my opinion, the feasibility of this weapon is not very optimistic. After all, the original author made a mistake in the issue of "battery endurance". If there is not enough battery life and speed, it will not be very tactical. (Author: Tao Mujian)