Russia testing new drones that could scramble sonars in the English Channel and allow nuclear submarines to enter UNDETECTED
Secretive vessels could also fool Nato submarines into revealing their position by mimicking Russian nuclear subs
RUSSIA has unveiled its new drone submarine that could change sea warfare forever.
The Surrogat will carry high tech equipment allowing it to scramble sonar signals and play havoc with Nato navies.
It can also act like a nuclear submarine, fooling enemy subs into revealing their position as they track what they believe is one of Vladimir Putin's hunter-killer vessels.
The forty-tonne Surrogat will be able to travel more than 600 miles at a time and carry out top-secret mission 600 metres below the waves.
It could even act as a decoy, drawing Royal Navy ships towards it while Russian nuke subs creep down the English Channel.
The sub's designer Igor Vilnit told Russian new agency TASS that it "will help realistically reproduce an enemy submarine's physical fields - acoustic and electromagnetic.
"Today, combat submarines have to be involved for exercises or tests and this practice distracts them from carrying out their basic missions.
"The use of an unmanned imitator will help avoid this and cut the cost of drills. Besides, a submarine without a crew reduces risks while keeping simulated scenarios realistic."
He added: "This apparatus will be distinguished by its simplicity in operation and the low cost of its maintenance and upgrade.
"Now we're holding consultations with Navy representatives to make the imitator fully meet the Navy's requirements."
Russia is understood to be negotiating a price for the elaborate subs as part of its drive towards a tech-driven armed forces.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to modernise and create “intelligent weapons”, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister has warned.
The announcement comes just months after the country's rustbucket aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was mocked as it belched out acrid smoke while steaming through the English Channel towards Syria.
But Dmitry Rogozin says Russia is ready to unleash a high-tech military within years.
He told TASS: "Much has been done, we have made major technological progress.
"But everything that has been made was designed in the Soviet era.
"I can feel it in my bones that we won’t be able to advance using only innovations of the past.
"Even the Syrian campaign has shown that the future belongs to robotics and unmanned aircraft.
"We are moving towards intelligent weapons because we need them."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368