A nuclear-powered cruise missile with unlimited range could outmaneuver even the most ambitious US missile defenses
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump launched the ambitious “Golden Dome” initiative – a sweeping plan to build a national missile defense system capable of shielding America from modern threats: ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and advanced cruise missiles. Designed as a next-generation shield, the Golden Dome aspires to close gaps in the nation’s defenses and guarantee security against a broad range of airborne dangers.
But even the most sophisticated defense can face a threat it wasn’t designed to stop.
As Washington doubles down on its plans for a new shield, Russia is preparing a weapon unlike anything currently in existence – a nuclear-powered cruise missile with unlimited range. And it’s a threat the Golden Dome may struggle to counter.
Russia is on the verge of deploying an entirely new class of cruise missile that could fundamentally alter air defense paradigms: nuclear-powered, unlimited-range cruise missiles. Chief among them is the Burevestnik.
It’s only logical that US missile defense planners are thinking ahead to such unconventional threats. Open-source intelligence researchers like MT_Anderson have recently shared satellite imagery revealing suspected construction of Burevestnik launch facilities near Vologda. If verified, this would mark the next phase in the deployment of a weapon capable of shaking the foundations of global strategic stability.
Russia first revealed the Burevestnik missile during President Vladimir Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018. Dubbed SSC-X-9 “Skyfall”in the West, the missile has been cloaked in secrecy ever since. The commonly used designation “9M730 Burevestnik” is actually a misnomer, as the 9M730 label originally referred to a version of the Iskander-M missile system – but that’s a minor detail in the larger picture.
Reports suggest that Burevestnik testing has been ongoing for years at sites like Novaya Zemlya, the Nenoksa naval testing range near Severodvinsk, and the Kapustin Yar missile complex – the latter featuring specialized infrastructure operated by Rosatom. As recently as two years ago, it seemed Russia was still far from completing development. Now, however, signs point to a major shift: operational launch sites are reportedly under construction.
Visually, the Burevestnik resembles a traditional cruise missile, with folding wings for compact launch storage. It launches from a ground platform using a solid-fuel booster, then switches to an air-breathing nuclear-powered jet engine once it reaches cruising speed. In theory, this engine heats incoming air via a compact nuclear reactor, allowing the missile to stay airborne for weeks or even months without refueling.
Effectively, the Burevestnik is designed to serve as a “doomsday weapon” – a guaranteed retaliatory strike platform in the event of nuclear war.
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