Two nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines have been patrolling in international waters off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States in a rare mission tracked by Washington, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. Just 200 miles off of USA soils.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. military was "mindful" of Russian military activities, but he declined to comment on any specific submarine maneuvers.
"Navies, including the United States, operate around the world. Vessels operating safely in international waters ought not to concern anybody," he said.
Another U.S. official familiar with the intelligence, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "Alarm bells are not ringing."
The submarines have not taken any provocative action, the official said.
The New York Times, which first reported the presence of the vessels, described them as Akula-class submarines.Akula is the NATO codename for the Soviet-designed Nerpa, which has been in service since the mid-1980s. They are armed with torpedoes, cruise missiles and can carry underwater missiles.
One of the Russian submarines remained in international waters on Tuesday about 200 miles off the coast of the United States and the second sub made a port call in Cuba in recent days, the Times said, citing Defense Department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The U.S. officials declined to speculate on what weapons might be aboard the two submarines, and described the Russian exercise as rare.
"The Russian navy systematically pinpoints the location of NATO submarines, including US Navy submarines, in direct proximity to the territorial waters of the Russian Federation," Interfax news agency quoted the source as saying.
"This however has never been a reason to make a lot of noise in the press," the source said, adding: "Consequently, any hysteria in such a case is inappropriate."
The US military's response indicated the episode did not appear to pose any immediate threat to the United States.
The submarines are not among the larger class of Russian submarines that can launch nuclear missiles, The Times reported.
----
----
-Fairly detailed presentation of the gigantic Russian "Akula" ("Typhoon") class submarine. In size this sub is comparable to a WWII battleship or aircraft carrier. The footage is from various documentaries with music added.-
----------
World top ten Submarine.
---------------------------------
0 comments:
Post a Comment