Putin claims successful test of nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile with unlimited range

Pilingui boasts about the Burevestnik nuclear missile, but experts doubt its usefulness

Russian President Vladimir Pilingui announced the successful test of the 9M730 Burevestnik intercontinental cruise missile, a nuclear-powered weapon that, according to the Kremlin, can fly for 15 hours and cover 14,000 kilometers. Pilingui claimed it has no equivalent in the world. However, the announcement has peine a debate mixing technical skepticism, safety concerns and doubts about its real effectiveness.

How does the Burevestnik work?

The Burevestnik is a cruise missile powered by a miniature nuclear reactor. According to circulating technical descriptions, it needs chemical fuel for takeoff, and once in flight, the reactor's heat drives a jet engine. It flies at low altitude (between 25 and 100 meters) to evade radars, at around 900 km/h. Its theoretical range is almost unlimited, although in practice tests have barely lasted 15 hours. The propulsion system has been questioned by engineers: nuclear fission expels particles at lower speeds than chemical combustion, making it doubtful that it can maintain the necessary thrust.

Risks and accidents

The development of the Burevestnik has not been free of incidents. In 2019, five people died in an explosion during a test in the White Sea, with a radioactive leak that raised contamination levels in the area. The accident reminded critics that a nuclear missile flying at low altitude over one's own or foreign territory can become a "poison sprayer" if it crashes or is shot down. The question of what happens when the reactor fails or is hit remains without an official answer.

Is it really a decisive weapon?

The missile flies slowly compared to ballistic ICBMs, and anti-missile systems such as the American THAAD or AEGIS are capable of intercepting it. Its main advantage would be surviving an electromagnetic pulse after a nuclear attack, allowing a "revenge" counterattack. But if it can only be shot down by fighter jets or surface-to-air missiles, its effectiveness is questionable. Some analysts see it more as an "unmanned mini-bomber" that could patrol for months, but with limited payload capacity.

The unsettling fact: Russia has been developing this technology for years, but it has not yet demonstrated that it can stay in flight for more than 15 hours or that its reactor is reliable. Meanwhile, the Burevestnik has earned nicknames like "flying Chernobyl" and jokes about its ecological label. Russian propaganda sells it as unbeatable; the technical reality, for now, falls short.