Russia’s Icebreaker Rocket Can Punch A Hole Through The North Pole

Russia’s submarines have found a way to fire ICBMs through the thick ice of the North Pole.

They’re going to fire rocket-propelled ice-busters to blast a hole through the Arctic ice sheet, and then launch their nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles through the hole.

Normally, Arctic ice provides concealment for Russian – and American –nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Quietly lurking under frozen water 6 to 15 feet thick, subs can avoid detection and destruction by surface ships, aircraft and other submarines.

But what if the sub actually had to fire its missiles?  Firing a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), with a thermonuclear warhead in its nose, through 15 feet of ice can have unfortunate consequences for the missile, and quite possibly for the submarine as well.

Existing techniques to launch SLBMs have limitations. “All of these nuclear submarines must operate in any situation and not depend on the conditions of the environment,” Rear Admiral Vsevolod Khmyrov, a former nuclear submarine captain, told Russian newspaper Izvestia. “Upon receipt of the command to launch, they are obliged to execute it as soon as possible. Ice should not be an impediment. Making ice holes is a tactical technique which permits the missile launch on time. A submarine can use the hull to punch through the ice but, in the process, risks getting damaged. Therefore, if time permits, the missile submarines usually look for already existing ice holes or sail out beyond the edge of the ice.”

The problem during a nuclear war is that time might not permit a sub to sail outside the ice cap and find a launch position. This gives the enemy extra time to locate and destroy the sub before it can fire its missiles.

So, the Russian Navy had a bright idea: fire a rocket, armed with a high-explosive warhead, to blast a hole through the ice. through which a ballistic missile can pass. “These unguided rocket-propelled projectiles punch a hole through the pack ice at the required location,” Izvestia said. “These special munitions support the launch of strategic missiles while submerged and also in the surface recovery of floating rescue capsules, which the crews use for evacuation during an accident.”

The rocket-propelled icebreakers are being developed for the Russian Navy’s new Borei- and Yasen-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). The concept was first tested in the summer of 2014, with unarmed rockets. Researchers initially fired unarmed rockets in the belief that the sheer impact  would punch through the ice, but now the rockets are armed with high-explosive warheads.

Interestingly, during the Cold War, the Russian Navy tried to blast holes in ice using regular torpedoes. The torpedoes “were not as effective as expected,” Izvestia admitted, without providing any details.

The chance that Russian subs will fire nuclear-tipped missiles – which would mean World War III has begun – are thankfully low. But the ability to fire missiles through thick ice could have more practical applications for less apocalyptic conflicts.

Modern submarines are armed with cruise missiles: the U.S. has fired sub-launched Tomahawks on multiple occasions. Russian subs have also launched hypersonic missiles, and the U.S. Navy plans to test such weapons on its subs by the mid-2020s. While these missiles can be armed with nuclear warheads, they are more likely to be armed with conventional warheads.

With the Arctic melting, gaps are appearing in the ice – and nations such as Russia, the U.S., China and Canada are hungrily eyeing potential new shipping routes and newly accessible mineral resources. This raises the possibility that rival nations can engage in limited combat over Arctic spoils. A nation whose submarines can stay hidden under the ice – and still launch anti-ship or land-attack cruise and hypersonic missiles — would have an advantage.

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