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The new Russian cruise missile Burevestnik, which Putin boasted of successfully testing, is not a superweapon. In general, it is doubtful that the Russian Federation has a missile with the declared technical characteristics. Most likely, “successful tests of the Burevestnik” are needed to please Putin and distract the Russian audience from the unsuccessful actions of the Russian army in Ukraine. Military expert Oleksiy Hetman stated this live on the FREEDOM TV channel.
He noted that there is nothing new in attempts to create a nuclear-powered cruise missile. This is a development from the times of the USSR. Similar ones were carried out in the USA, but were stopped due to their futility. As for nuclear power plants, they have been successfully used for a long time.
“Remember the icebreaker Lenin? The Soviet Union was very proud that they made an icebreaker with a nuclear engine. It’s not complicated in itself, but, firstly, it’s heavy, and secondly, it requires cooling,” noted the guest on the broadcast.
Getman doubts that effective technical solutions are possible to equip a fairly small cruise missile with such an engine. The expert has even more questions about the effectiveness of the missiles themselves.
“It will be heavier than a rocket with a conventional jet engine. If it’s heavier, it will fly slower and won’t be as maneuverable. And the main advantage of a cruise missile is not its speed, but its ability to maneuver,” he says.
According to Getman, even if we assume that such a rocket has been created, it is not clear what it is needed for.
“A nuclear engine can operate for quite a long time. Theoretically, a missile can fly and stay in the air for months, which means that it can cover a huge distance… The most important question is: why does a cruise missile that flies at subsonic speed need a flight range of 7-8-10 thousand km. In order to achieve a goal – for example, Russia wants to attack, God forbid, the United States of America with such a missile – the missile at this speed will fly to the United States for 7-8 hours. Obviously, during this time it will be detected, and it will be easy to shoot it down, intercept it, without even straining too much… Why make a rocket that will fly 10 hours to the target?” — the broadcast guest asks a rhetorical question.
In his opinion, the missile was announced in order, firstly, to please Putin with the fact that the Russian Federation supposedly has another weapon that “has no analogues.” Secondly, to scare the world again. And, thirdly, to divert the attention of people, including within the Russian Federation, from the unsuccessful actions of the Russian army at the front.
As previously reported, according to military-political analyst Dmytro Snegirev, the statement about testing the Burevestnik cruise missile is a political bluff. Since 2001, out of 13 Burevestnik launches, not one has completed successfully. They tried to implement the very idea of such a rocket back in the 1950s, but then such developments were considered unpromising and were shelved.
