Burevestnik

Russia's experimental nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile of claimed effectively unlimited range, designed to evade missile defenses through low-altitude, circuitous flight — not yet in service and plagued by a troubled test record.

Overview

The 9M730 Burevestnik ("Storm Petrel"), assigned the NATO reporting name SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is a Russian experimental intercontinental-range cruise missile propelled by a miniature nuclear reactor and armed with a nuclear warhead. It is the only known weapon of its kind — a concept the United States itself proved and abandoned with Project Pluto (1957–1964) over radiological and safety concerns. Publicly unveiled by Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018 as one of six "super weapons" positioned explicitly as a counter to U.S. missile defense, the Burevestnik has since become one of the most intensely scrutinized — and controversial — strategic systems under development, widely nicknamed the "flying Chernobyl" by critics, according to Wikipedia. It has never entered service and has never been used in combat.

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