Part 1 of 2 Parts
     Satellite photos and aviation data suggest that Russia may be preparing to test an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile with a theoretical range of thousands of miles.
     Movement of aircraft and vehicles at and near a base in Russia’s remote arctic regions appear to be consistent with preparations that were previously made for tests of the missile in 2017 and 2018. The missile is known as the Burevestnik or SSC-X-9 Skyfall. U.S. surveillance planes have also been seen in the area over the last two weeks. Aviation alerts have warned pilots to avoid nearby airspace.
     Russia has previously conducted thirteen known tests between 2017 and 2019. All of these tests were unsuccessful according to a report from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) which is a nonprofit group focused on nuclear arms control. Such failed tests can be dangerous and even fatal. A missile launched in 2019 crashed and eventually exploded during a recovery attempt. Seven people were killed in the explosion.
      Daryl G. Kimball is executive director of the Arms Control Association. He said, “It is exotic — it is dangerous in its testing and development phase. Whether the Burevestnik has been tested again since 2019 isn’t clear, but even with a successful launch, the missile would still be years away from “operational deployment.”
     In previous tests, the Burevestnik failed to fly a distance anywhere close to the claimed range which is estimated to be about fourteen thousand miles. U.S. officials said that during its most successful test flight which lasted just over than two minutes, the missile flew twenty-two miles before it crashed into the sea. In another test, the missile’s nuclear reactor failed to activate. This caused the missile to go down only a few miles from the launch site. For a test to be successful, the missile’s nuclear reactor would need to initiate in flight so that the missile can cover much more ground.
     According to the NTI report, the missile is a “second-strike, strategic-range weapon”. It is intended to be launched after a wave of nuclear strikes have destroyed targets in Russia. The missile could carry a conventional warhead. However, in practice, it would probably carry a nuclear payload. It would likely be a smaller payload that most other nuclear-capable weapons. If used in wartime, the missile would have the potential to destroy large urban areas and military targets according to experts.
     Russia has shared little about the Burevestnik’s specific design. Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has stated that it is nuclear-powered. It is thought that the missile is to be launched by a solid-fuel rocket motor before a small nuclear reactor activates in flight. This would theoretically allow the missile to stay aloft indefinitely.
     The Burevestnik is one of six strategic weapons that Putin introduced in a 2018 speech. Other weapons mentioned in the speech included the Kinzhal ballistic missile and the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. Putin claimed that the weapons could overpower and outmaneuver existing U.S. defenses. Addressing Western nations, he said that “You have failed to contain Russia.”
Please read Part 2 next