Vladimir Putin’s TV channel boasts about his nuclear-powered cruise missile months after it blew up in the Baltic Sea killing five and causing huge radiation leak
- The state-owned Russia 24 boasted of the capabilities of the Burevestnik missile
- Known as Skyfall by NATO, the missile was blamed for the Nyonoska disaster
- Little is known about the weapon but Putin says it is ‘unmatched’
A state-owned Russian news channel has boasted of the capabilities of a nuclear powered cruise missile which killed five people earlier this year and caused a huge radiation leak.
Russia 24 dedicated a segment of its Christmas Eve coverage to the Burevestnik missile, also known by the NATO codename ‘Skyfall’.
Little was known about the weapon beforehand but Vladimir Putin had boasted it was ‘the most advanced and unmatched technical’ missile.
Russia 24 has boasted of the capabilities of a nuclear powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, on state TV
Experts said they suspected an explosion and radiation release came from an accident during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile at a facility outside the village of Nyonoksa
On August 8, employees of the Russia’s nuclear company, Rosatom, were blown up while testing a nuclear rocket propulsion system at the Nyonoska testing site in the White Sea.
The blast caused a brief radiation spike in the nearby city of Severodvinsk.
It killed five weapons scientists and others were taken ill with radiation poisoning and severe injuries.
The broadcast showed the missile’s speed of 270 metres per second and its lift-off mass of 2,400kg. The missile is claimed to have virtually unlimited range
During the news segment, other Russian weaponry was displayed including the Kinzhal hypersonic missile (pictured)
On Tuesday, Russia 24 discussed various missiles being built and included the Burevestnik.
It showed its speed of 270 metres per second and its lift-off mass of 2,400kg. The missile is claimed to have virtually unlimited range.
After the accident in Nyonoska, rumours were circulating over what caused the blast, with many suspecting the military were testing the new missile.
In October, Thomas DiNanno, member of the US delegation to the UN, said ‘the August 8th Skyfall incident… was the result of a nuclear reaction that occurred during the recovery of a Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile.’
The Central Military Naval Testing Area Nyonoksa is seen in a file photo. A deadly explosion in the White Sea there has been linked to Russia’s experimental Skyfall nuclear missile
He said it had remained on the bed of the White Sea since a failed test the previous year.
But in November, Putin made comments at the ceremony of state decorations where he awarded the deceased employees of Russia’s state nuclear company with the Order of Courage, posthumously.
He said: ‘They led a very difficult, responsible and critical direction, we are talking about the most advanced and unmatched technical ideas and solutions.’
On August 8, five employees of the Russia’s nuclear company, Rosatom, were blown up while testing a nuclear rocket propulsion system. The rescue team is pictured after the tragedy
The President said the scientists had made ‘an indispensable contribution to the strengthening of the Russian state’.
‘The fact of possessing such unique technologies is today the most important reliable guarantee of peace on the planet. And no matter what, we will certainly improve this weapon,’ he said.
The five killed in the explosion were Vyasheslav Yanovsky, 71, one of Russia’s most senior nuclear scientists, Vyacheslav Lipshev, 40, director of a secret research institute, Evgeny Korotaev, 50, a leading electronics engineer, Alexey Vyushin, 43, who had developed a high-energy photon spectrometer, and Sergey Pichugin, 45, a testing engineer.
Why the US abandoned nuclear cruise missiles as too dangerous
In the mid-1950s, the U.S. Air Force conceived of a nuclear-powered missile dubbed the Supersonic Low Altitude Missile or SLAM.
Powered by an un-shielded nuclear reactor superheating the air in a supersonic ramjet, the missiles would be able to cruise indefinitely around the Earth just a few miles over the ground.
The missiles were intended to deliver nuclear weapon payloads, but would also cause devastating damage via shock waves and radiation.
In the mid-1950s, the U.S. Air Force conceived of a nuclear-powered missile
After launch, the missiles could in theory fly in circles over the ocean indefinitely until called ‘down to the deck.’
Skimming just above the ground, the missiles would be impervious to traditional missile defense and difficult to spot on radar.
After delivering their nuclear warhead payloads, the missiles could continue to cause tremendous damage and loss of life simply by cruising in circles over populated areas spewing radiation and flattening buildings with shock waves.
The missiles could also be crashed into a population center to inflict maximum radiation damage from the un-shielded nuclear core.
The Tory II-A nuclear ramjet prototype was developed by Project Pluto in the early 60s
The U.S. conducted ground tests of a nuclear-powered ramjet engine under Project Pluto, but the project was officially scuttled in 1964 as being too fearsome and provocative.
War planners feared that if the U.S. developed the horrifying and unstoppable missiles, the USSR would be forced to do the same.