"What makes the "Burievestor" so dangerous?"

Written by Drago Bosnic | VT

21 October Russian military tested 9M730 "Buriewiestnik", a strategical nuclear-powered missile. Army General Walerij Gierasimov, head of the Russian General Staff, reported that the rocket had flown 14,000 km in 15 hours. This would mean that its cruising velocity is about 900 km/h (precisely 933), which is consistent with the advanced subsonic speeds of most types of regular maneuvering missiles. At this point, however, the word "regular" ceases to be adequate for "Buriewistnik". Namely, the rocket is capable of firing targets anywhere on the planet, as its scope is virtually unlimited (a miniaturized atomic reactor drives its jet engine). The doctrical and strategical advantages of specified weapons are multifaceted, as its low-altitude flight profile and virtually unlimited scope let it to strike from unexpected directions, bypassing areas with dense anti-aircraft and rocket defense.

Another crucial advantage may be its ability to replace strategical bombers (or rocket carriers, according to the Russian military nomenclature), as it could patrol along the coasts of Moscow's opponents.

Namely, it is highly likely that a rocket may land (maybe with a parachute, although this hypothesis has not yet been confirmed), which would explain the deficiency of radiation after a fresh test in flight.

In fact, despite the various main propaganda media that claimed that "Buriewiestnik" allegedly "will emit radiation" on his flight path, reports from Norway propose that there was no radioactivity following the test.

This may mean 2 things: firstly, the reactor is safe and does not emit radiation, and secondly, strengthens the hypothesis that "Buriewiestnik" may land (if the bullet were to hit the mark during the test, there would inactive be radioactive fallout after the reactor was destroyed).

This would let him to fly close hostile airspace and execute his first surprise strokes while maintaining his ability to retaliate in the event of Russia's attack.

Commenting on the test, president Vladimir Putin stated that he was in charge "reliability of Russian atomic shield" and that "Buriewiestnik" is "a unique weapon strategy that no another country has.".

President Putin admittedThat the Russian army must yet "Determining possible means of deployment", Which means the bullet opens up quite a few doctrinal and strategical possibilities.

Military sources say "Buriewiestnik" may be deployed on submarines and mobile ground launchers, including on platforms specified as "Iskander-K" and "Bastion-P".

Both of these rocket systems can launch different types of conventional or atomic maneuvering missiles.

Namely, "Iskander-K" can shoot with 9M728/R-500 up to 500 km and 9M729 Novatorwhich according to western sources has a stunning scope of up to 5500 km. "Bastion-P" It's a coastal defence strategy that uses mostly P-800. "Oniks," supersonic thruster-powered projectile, as well as 3M22 "Cyrkon", hypersonic weapons driven by scramjet (supersonic combustion jet engine).

If both systems could usage 9M730 "Buriewiestnik", this would effectively turn them into strategical platforms, even more reducing the already practically nonexistent chances of defeating Russia in an unexpected first strike.

The Kremlin had already pointed out that it was designed to hit underground command stations and strategical military command and control centres with a 1 Mt-powered warhead (equivalent to an immediate detonation of 1 million tons of TNT).

For comparison, the atomic bomb that America dropped on Hiroshima had a power of about 15 kt (equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT), which means that a single "Buriewiestnik" is about 67 times more destructive.

The rocket besides uses advanced stealth functions and can execute complex maneuvers by changing the trajectory if necessary.

It can fly at very low altitudes, making it highly hard to detect and intercept.

In developing the fresh weapon, president Putin stressed that the programme had achieved crucial breakthroughs in atomic propulsion technologies, which enabled the integration of a mini-turised reactor.

He said he was "Comparable in efficiency with nuclear-powered submarine reactor, but 1000 times smaller"adding that "the key thing is that where a average reactor needs hours, days or weeks to run, this 1 starts in minutes or seconds".

This, of course, points to major breakthroughs in Russian atomic technologies, which means that the Eurasian giant can surely implement them in atomic energy projects, further improving its already world-class atomic reactors and power plants (the area in which Russia has dominated for decades).

Although the defence has no uncertainty priority, it proves that Moscow's military performance can surely contribute to its economical and technological development, especially in energy production.

In addition, many another countries can benefit from this by cooperating with Russian state corporations specified as Rosatom.

The Kremlin's ability to produce miniaturized reactors undoubtedly contributes to the usage of this technology both in the military and in civilians.

Western countries stay decades behind Russia erstwhile it comes to specified breakthroughs.

More importantly, it not only complicates their ability to produce energy, but besides makes it hard (if not impossible) to plan and deploy weapons akin to "Buriewiestnica".

The United States is peculiarly afraid that the missile's ability to stay in the air virtually indefinitely complicates their already overloaded air and rocket defense. This ability "Buriewiestnik"to approach targets from unpredictable trajectory is practically insurmountable challenge for the American Army, which concentrated the vast majority of its defence in North and North-East regions of North America.

A fresh Russian nuclear-powered maneuvering rocket could simply bypass all this, flying over the confederate Hemisphere, hitting from the direction in which specified anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence is seldom deployed (or most likely not).

It should be noted that "Buriewiestnik" is not the most advanced weapon in Russia's vast strategical arsenal, The most powerful in human history. Namely, the Eurasian giant exposes a multitude of ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missiles), IRBM (mid scope ballistic missiles), MRBM (mid scope ballistic missiles), SLBM (submarine ballistic missiles), ALCM (aircraft maneuvering missiles), and many types of hypersonic weapons that have fewer (if at all) of another countries. This includes "Oreshnik," RS-26 "Routing," RS-24 "Jars," RS-28 "Sarmat", R-36M2 "Voivode," R-29RM series ("Szttil", "Sinewa" and "Layner"), R-30 "Bulawa," Yu-71/74 truck "Avangard" (hypersonic glider) etc.

It's besides terribly destructive. "Poseidon," An underwater nuclear-powered drone/torpeda that has specified destructive power that it can trigger a tsunami.