Russia's "Flying Chernobyl" Missile: A History of Disaster

The Burevestnik Missile: Concept and Ambition

• 🚀 The 9M730 Burevestnik, also known as Skyfall, is Russia's nuclear-powered cruise missile, boasting "unlimited range" and immense destructive potential.
• 💡 Conceived during the Soviet era and revived in 2001, its development aims to create a weapon capable of penetrating any missile defense system and striking anywhere globally.
• ⚡ The missile is powered by a nuclear fission reactor and likely a ramjet engine, theoretically allowing it to fly for exceptionally long periods and distances.

Historical Precedents and US Abandonment

• 🇺🇸 The United States explored similar nuclear-powered missile concepts in the 1950s through Project Pluto, aiming for a nuclear ramjet engine for the Supersonic Low Altitude Missile (SLAM).
• ⚠️ Project Pluto was ultimately canceled due to significant environmental and safety concerns, the high risk of catastrophic accidents, and the development of faster ICBM technology.
• 📉 The US abandoned the project due to the unfeasibility, unsustainability, and immense risks associated with nuclear-powered engines, opting for more reliable ICBMs.

Burevestnik's Troubled Development and Failures

• 💥 Since its revival, the Burevestnik has suffered numerous failed test flights, including crashes and propulsion system failures, leading to radioactive contamination.
• 📉 In November 2017, a missile flew only two minutes before crashing into the Barents Sea, releasing harmful elements into the environment.
• ☢️ The program's most catastrophic incident occurred on August 8, 2019, when a prototype detonated during recovery, killing at least seven technicians and causing significant radiation exposure to personnel and the surrounding area.

Putin's Push and International Reactions

• 📢 Despite repeated failures and fatalities, President Putin has continued to push the Burevestnik project, unveiling it publicly in 2018 and claiming it was successfully tested.
• 🌍 On October 26, 2023, Putin confirmed a 14,000 km Arctic test flight, calling it a "unique product" and a "decisive test."
• 💬 International experts, including Jeffrey Lewis and Chuck Pfarrer, have expressed concern, labeling the missile a "Frankensteinian folly" and a destabilizing weapon that poses grave environmental risks due to its unshielded reactor design.
• 🇺🇸 Former US President Donald Trump dismissed the missile's significance, highlighting US military superiority and urging Putin to end the war in Ukraine instead of testing dangerous weapons.