A Russian submarine takes part in the "Vostok-2022" military exercises at the Peter the Great Gulf of the Sea of Japan outside the city of Vladivostok on Sept 5, 2022. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)

MOSCOW – Russia has produced the first nuclear warheads for the self-powered Poseidon super torpedoes that are being developed for deployment on the Belgorod nuclear submarine, TASS reported on Monday, citing an unidentified defense source.

"The first Poseidon ammunition loads have been manufactured, and the Belgorod submarine will receive them in the near future," TASS, a state news agency, quoted the source as saying.

TASS said the main components of Poseidon, including a nuclear reactor to give the torpedo its own power source, had been successfully completed. The crew of the Belgorod nuclear submarine has also completed tests with models of the torpedo, TASS said.

The defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The main components of Poseidon super torpedoes, including a nuclear reactor to give the torpedo its own power source, had been successfully completed, TASS reported, adding that the crew of the Belgorod nuclear submarine has also completed tests with models of the torpedo

President Vladimir Putin first announced what would become known as Poseidon in 2018, saying it was a fundamentally new type of strategic nuclear weapon, confirming it would have its own nuclear power supply.

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There are few confirmed details about the Poseidon in the public domain but it is essentially a cross between a torpedo and a drone which can be launched from a nuclear submarine.

Russia's defense ministry has shown videos of the 24-meter Poseidon, known as Kanyon by NATO, including simulations showing it destroying an enemy aircraft carrier and hitting the shoreline.

In the 2018 speech, Putin said the range of the torpedo would be unlimited and that it could operate at extreme depths at a speed many times that of any submarine or other torpedoes.

"They are very low noise, have high maneuverability and are practically indestructible for the enemy. There is no weapon that can counter them in the world today," Putin said.

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The Poseidon will be carried by the K-329 Belgorod, a special purpose nuclear submarine that was built by the Sevmash Shipyard.