"Burevestnik" cruise missile

According to President Putin, Russia has tested a new type of nuclear-powered cruise missile and now intends to deploy the weapon. According to him,"Burevestnik" is invincible and can travel 14,000 kilometers.

According to President Vladimir Putin, the Russian military has completed tests of the innovative, nuclear-powered cruise missile"Burevestnik." Putin announced this in a video of a meeting with military representatives released today by the Kremlin. The missile is now set to be deployed.

The nuclear-capable 9M730"Burevestnik" ("Petrel") missile can bypass any defense system, Putin said. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed him that the missile covered a distance of 14,000 kilometers during the test flight and was in the air for about 15 hours. The"technical characteristics" of the "Burevestnik" cruise missile make it possible to use it with "assured precision against highly protected targets at any distance," it added. Putin instructed Gerasimov to begin preparations for the deployment of the cruise missile.

Just last Wednesday, Russia launched its own large-scale maneuver of its strategic nuclear forces, parallel to an ongoing NATO nuclear exercise in Europe.

Putin: Missile is"invincible"

Russia describes the new missile as "invincible" for current and future missile defense systems due to its virtually unlimited range and unpredictable trajectory."It's a unique weapon that no one else in the world has," Putin said. Russian specialists once told him the weapon would probably never be realized. But now the"crucial tests" have been completed.

Putin had already announced the development of the"Burevestnik" cruise missile in 2018. At the time, he stated that the weapons could overcome almost all air defense systems.

Russia and the United States together possess approximately 87 percent of the world's nuclear weapons stockpile. According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia possesses 5,459 nuclear warheads and the United States 5,177.

What is known about"Burevestnik"?

According to experts, the missile's nuclear propulsion is designed to allow it to fly farther and longer than conventional engines, which are limited by the amount of fuel they can carry. This would allow the"Burevestniks" to "circle around" for longer periods before striking a target.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a US-based nonprofit security organization, said the missile could potentially stay aloft for days. In use, the Burevestnik missile would carry one or more nuclear warheads"orbit the globe at low altitude, evading missile defense systems, avoiding terrain obstacles, and delivering the warheads at one or more difficult-to-predict locations," it said in a 2019 report.

According to Western experts, the Burevestniks have had a poor test record in the past, with numerous failures. In 2019, at least five Russian nuclear specialists were killed in an explosion and radiation release during an experiment in the White Sea. US intelligence sources suspected this was part of a cruise missile test.