Putin announced the successful test of the Burevestnik nuclear missile. What is known about this most powerful weapon?

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a speech at the Valdai Club forum, announced the successful last test of the almost unlimited-range Burevestnik missile with a nuclear power plant.

According to the head of state, work on modern types of strategic weapons, which he spoke about and announced a few years ago, in particular, we are talking about the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), has almost been completed.

Putin assured that mass production and putting on combat duty of these weapons samples will begin in the near future.

Vladimir Putin during a speech at the Valdai Club forum.
Source: Dmitry Azarov / Kommersant

The "Petrel" became known five years ago

The head of state spoke in detail about "Sarmat" and "Petrel" in March 2018 during his address to the Federal Assembly of Russia. If earlier it was already known about a promising ICBM, then it became known to the general public for the first time about a cruise missile being developed with a nuclear power plant.

According to the head of state, Russia has created a "small-sized heavy-duty nuclear power plant, which is located in the body of a cruise missile" and provides, compared with other missiles, a tenfold longer flight range, as well as almost complete invulnerability to air and missile defense systems (air defense and missile defense).

Thus, five years ago, the head of state announced the appearance of an unparalleled vehicle flying at high speed and low altitude — one of the non-ballistic types of strategic weapons against which traditional air defense and missile defense systems are ineffective.

The testing of the "Petrel" has been repeatedly reported by the Western press

According to the foreign press, referring to sources, the main tests of the "Petrel" were carried out at the ranges of the Russian Ministry of Defense, located on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and near the village of Nenoksa in the Arkhangelsk region. Some of the tests of promising weapons led, according to the foreign press, to accidents.

A serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Source: Konstantin Mikhalchevsky / RIA Novosti

The last time the foreign press reported on the upcoming tests of the "Petrel" on October 2. The American newspaper The New York Times (NYT) came to its conclusions after analyzing the movement of aircraft and vehicles in the area of the Pankovo landfill on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

Commenting on these reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised NYT journalists to study satellite images in more detail.

The device of the "Petrel" is not disclosed

About the design features of the new cruise missile, the Russian Defense Ministry practically does not report anything. Nevertheless, in November 2018, Ankit Panda, a journalist for The Diplomat, reported on Twitter that The Petrel had received recognition in Western countries.

"Petrel" according to the NATO codification received the designation SSC-X-9 Skyfall, which translates from English to Russian as "Skyfall"

According to the head of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, retired Colonel Andrey Koshkin, work on the "Petrel" began back in 2001.

The expert is sure that Western countries are afraid of this missile, because they have air defense and missile defense systems that are not able to intercept it.