Part 2 (Please read Part 1 first)
The U.S. had a nuclear missile engine under development in the 1960s called Project Pluto. They did some development work and testing but ultimate abandoned the project. The engine was so “dirty” that it would have left a trail of nuclear fallout as it flew. This was a serious problem if you wanted to launch it from inside the U.S. or you wanted to fly it over any friendly country. The same problems might plague any Russian nuclear engine.
Putin also talked about a new cruise missile powered by a miniature nuclear engine with a basically unlimited range that could be launched from a Russian nuclear bomber. As he said with respect to some other nuclear missiles in his speech, this one is supposed to have an unlimited range and the ability to evade any existing antimissile defense system. The same issues with respect to nuclear engines detailed above would also apply to this cruise missile. One question that could be important is the question of how much each of the nuclear engines would cost. Obviously, the cost would be much greater than the cost of conventional engines. This could limit the number of these missiles that could be practically deployed even if the nuclear engine to power them really exists.
The RS-28 Sarmat is a liquid-fueled super heavy intercontinental ballistic missile that carries ten to twenty-four nuclear warheads. This missile is under development at the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau. Estimated weight of the Sarmat is over a hundred tons. It has a payload of ten tons which would allow it to carry ten heavy warheads, fifteen lighter warheads or as many as twenty-four hypersonic glide vehicles. The range of the Sarmat is about six thousand miles. This is an upgraded version of the Satan ICBM that the Russians already have in their arsenal. A non-nuclear-powered version will be deployable around 2020.
Putin said in his speech that the Kinzhal is a new hypersonic cruise missile launched from an aircraft. (An aircraft is considered hypersonic if it travels at about ten times the speed of sound or around six thousand miles per hour.) It is a low to medium altitude all weather short-range missile system. It is designed for attacking airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, precision guided munitions, unmanned air vehicles and short range ballistic threats. Putin claims that it has the ability to fly at an extremely low altitude and avoid missile defense systems by maneuvering around their detection zones. It is said to have a range of about one thousand miles. Putin claims that this missile is already deployed in the Southern Military District in Southern Russia.
The Status-6 is an unmanned underwater drone that could could cruise undetected into a port and explode in a multi-megaton blast that would destroying everything for miles. It is supposed to be much faster than any existing underwater craft. Stories of such a weapon have been floating around for years. The problem is that there is no certainty that it even exists. As they say, if something sounds too good (or bad) to be true, it probably does not.
Non-Russian nuclear weapons experts questioned the presentation of these nuclear weapons as new developments. Some say that Putin was just repackaging and rebranding some existing weapons for publicity. There are also questions about the accuracy of the presented specifications.
RS-28 Sarmat missile:
