Russia tests new nuclear-powered cruise missile
President Vladimir Putin said Russia has successfully tested the nuclear-capable Burevestnik cruise missile, which Moscow says can evade any defense system, and will move towards deploying this weapon.
Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, chief of staff of Russia’s armed forces, told Putin that the missile traveled 14,000 kilometers and was in the air for about 15 hours when it was tested on October 21.
Russia says the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Bird), designated SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO, is “invincible” against current and future missile defenses with its virtually unlimited range and unpredictable flight path.
“This is a unique item that no one else in the world has,” Putin, dressed in camouflage fatigues and meeting at a command post with generals overseeing the war in Ukraine, said in a statement released by the Kremlin on Sunday.
Putin said some Russian experts told him the weapon would never be possible, but now “critical tests” have been completed.
He told Gerasimov that Russia needed to understand how to classify the weapon and prepare the infrastructure to deploy Burevestnik.
Gerasimov said the test was different because the missile flew on nuclear power and flew a very long distance, although the range was essentially unlimited.
He said it could defeat any anti-missile defense.
Putin on Wednesday oversaw a land, sea and air test to rehearse the readiness and command structure of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.
“The so-called modernity of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level,” Putin said, which was higher than all other nuclear powers.
Russia and the United States account for approximately 87 percent of the global nuclear weapons inventory; That’s enough to destroy the world many times over.
According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia has 5,459 nuclear warheads and the United States has 5,177.
“Strategic forces are capable of fully ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation and the Union State,” Putin said. he said.
