View source for Engineering:9M730 Burevestnik

{{Infobox weapon
| name               = 9M730 Burevestnik
| image              = 
| image_size         = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| type               = [[Engineering:Nuclear-powered aircraft|Nuclear-powered]] [[Engineering:Cruise missile|cruise missile]]
| origin             = {{wipe|Russia}}
<!-- Type selection -->| is_ranged          = Yes
| is_bladed          = 
| is_explosive       = Yes
| is_artillery       = 
| is_vehicle         = Yes
| is_missile         = Yes
| is_UK              = <!-- Service history -->
| service            = Under development / testing
| used_by            = 
| wars               = 
<!-- Production history -->| designer           = 
| design_date        = 
| manufacturer       = 
| unit_cost          = 
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| number             = 
| variants           = <!-- General specifications -->
| spec_label         = 
| mass               = 
| length             = 
| part_length        = 
| width              = 
| height             = 
| diameter           = 
| crew               = 
| passengers         = <!-- Ranged weapon specifications -->
| cartridge          = 
| cartridge_weight   = 
| caliber            = 
| barrels            = 
| action             = 
| rate               = 
| velocity           = 
| range              = Effectively unlimited
| max_range          = Effectively unlimited
| feed               = 
| sights             = <!-- Artillery specifications -->
| breech             = 
| recoil             = 
| carriage           = 
| elevation          = 
| traverse           = <!-- Bladed weapon specifications -->
| blade_type         = 
| hilt_type          = 
| sheath_type        = 
| head_type          = 
| haft_type          = <!-- Explosive specifications -->
| filling            = Thermonuclear
| filling_weight     = 
| detonation         = 
| yield              = <!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->
| armour             = 
| primary_armament   = 
| secondary_armament = 
| engine             = 
| engine_power       = 
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| payload_capacity   = 
| transmission       = 
| suspension         = 
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| guidance           = 
| steering           = <!-- Missiles only -->
| wingspan           = 
| propellant         = 
| ceiling            = 
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| boost              = 
| depth              = 
| accuracy           = 
| launch_platform    = 
| transport          = <!-- For all -->
| ref                = 
}}

[[File:Pankovo cruise missile launch site in June 2018 on Planet satellite imagery.png|thumb|Satellite imagery of the launch site]]

The '''9M730 Burevestnik''' ({{lang-ru|Буревестник}}; "Storm petrel", NATO reporting name: '''SSC-X-9 Skyfall''')<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://enseccoe.org/data/public/uploads/2021/10/d1_the-future-role-of-nuclear-propulsion-in-the-military.pdf|title=The Future Role of Nuclear Propulsion in the Military|last=Trakimavičius|first=Lukas|website=NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence|language=en|access-date=2021-10-15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1064991343624237059|title=Update from a source: Russia's Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile has a NATO designator – SSC-X-9 SKYFALL. (USIC also calls this missile the KY30.)|first=Ankit|last=Panda|user=nktpnd|date=20 November 2018}}</ref><ref name=AlJazeera20190813>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/russian-nuclear-engineers-buried-skyfall-nuclear-blast-190813025930755.html |title=Russian nuclear engineers buried after 'Skyfall nuclear' blast |publisher=[[Engineering:Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=13 August 2019 |access-date=11 September 2019}}</ref> is a Russian [[Engineering:Nuclear-powered aircraft|nuclear-powered]], [[Engineering:Thermonuclear weapon|nuclear-armed]] [[Engineering:Cruise missile|cruise missile]] under development for the Russian Armed Forces.<ref name="auto1"/> According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the missile has an essentially unlimited range.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/07/20/europe/russia-new-weapons-videos-intl/index.html|title=Russia shows off new weapons after Trump summit|last=Lendon|first=Brad|date=20 July 2018|publisher=CNN|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref>

The Burevestnik is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018.<ref name=AlJazeera20190813/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thediplomat.com/2018/03/russia-reveals-unstoppable-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile/|title=Russia Reveals 'Unstoppable' Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile|last=Gady|first=Franz-Stefan|date=2 March 2018|work=The Diplomat|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref>

{{external media
}}

==History==
===Origins===
The [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] and later Russia have been uncertain since the 1980s to what extent their [[Engineering:Intercontinental ballistic missile|ICBM]] nuclear arsenal is nullified by the United States' anti-ballistic missile system [[Engineering:Strategic Defense Initiative|Strategic Defense Initiative]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/coldwar/page20.shtml|title=Reagan's Star Wars|work=Cold War: A Brief History|via=Atomic Archive|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref> proposed during the Reagan Administration and commonly known as the Star Wars program.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lambeth|first1=Benjamin S. |last2=Lewis|first2=Kevin |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/1988-03-01/kremlin-and-sdi|title=The Kremlin and SDI|work=Foreign Affairs|date=Spring 1988|access-date=2019-09-26|url-access=subscription}}</ref> This type of weapon flies under the ballistic weapon shield and is part of President Putin's broader program to attempt to advance Russian nuclear strike capability.<ref>{{cite news|last=Roblin|first=Sebastien |url=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russias-nuclear-powered-%E2%80%98skyfall%E2%80%99-missile-unlimited-range-doomsday-weapon-74156|title=Russia's Nuclear-Powered 'Skyfall' Missile with Unlimited Range: A Doomsday Weapon?|work=The National Interest|date=18 August 2019|access-date=2019-09-26}}</ref>

===Development===
The Russian defense industry began developing an intercontinental-range nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of penetrating any interceptor-based missile defense system. It is said to have unlimited range and ability to evade missile defenses.<ref name=":0" /> A major stage of trials of the cruise missile of the Burevestnik complex, the tests of the nuclear power unit, were successfully completed in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://tass.com/defense/1045012|title=Tests of Burevestnik nuclear powered cruise missile successfully completed, says source|agency=TASS|date=16 February 2019|access-date=2019-08-13}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=September 2022}}

The cruise missile received the name ''Burevestnik'' (which translates as Storm petrel, a seabird) as a result of an open vote on the website of the Ministry of Defence of Russia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Россияне выбрали названия для новейшего отечественного оружия |date=23 March 2018 |url=https://ria.ru/20180323/1517078771.html |publisher=«РИА Новости» |access-date=20 November 2019|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-arms-putin-names/russia-names-putins-new-super-weapons-after-a-quirky-public-vote-idUSKBN1GZ1NY|title=Russia names Putin's new 'super weapons' after a quirky public vote|last=Osborn|first=Andrew|work={{wipe|Reuters}}|date=23 March 2018|access-date=2018-07-20}}</ref>

===Design speculation===
According to Vladimir Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defense, the missile's dimensions are comparable to those of the Kh-101 cruise missile and it is equipped with a small-sized nuclear power unit. The claimed operational range is orders of magnitude greater than that of Kh-101. As shown in an official presentation, the missile starts from an inclined launcher using a detachable rocket booster.<ref>{{cite web |title=Послание Президента Федеральному Собранию |url=http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957 |website=kremlin.ru |access-date=24 November 2019 |date=1 March 2018|language=ru}}</ref>

Pavel Ivanov from ''VPK-news'' states that the cruise missile is one and a half to two times the size of the Kh-101, the wings of the ''Burevestnik'' are rooted "on top of the fuselage, rather than below it like on the Kh-101", and also notes that there are "characteristic protrusions where air is most likely heated by the nuclear reactor". According to Ivanov, the mass of the ''Burevestnik'' is "several times to order of magnitude" greater than that of the Kh-101, which eliminates Tu-160 and Tu-95 as potential carriers of the missile.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Иванов |first1=Павел |title="Буревестник" знает, куда летит |url=https://vpk-news.ru/articles/52488 |website=«Military Industrial Courier |access-date=24 November 2019 |language=ru |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220092626/https://vpk-news.ru/articles/52488 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

According to ''Nezavisimaya Gazeta'', ''Burevestnik'' is a [[Engineering:Nuclear thermal rocket|nuclear thermal rocket]] with a solid-fueled booster engine. The length of the missile is {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} at launch and {{convert|9|m|ft|abbr=on}} in flight. The nose has the shape of an "ellipse {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} × {{convert|1.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in size".<ref>{{Cite web|author=Александр Шарковский|url=http://www.ng.ru/week/2019-02-17/7_7510_army.html|title=Ядерный "Буревестник" стал реальностью|publisher=Nezavisimaya Gazeta|date=17 February 2019|language=ru}}</ref>

Military expert Anton Lavrov in the ''Izvestia'' article suggested that the design of the ''Burevestnik'' uses a [[Engineering:Ramjet|ramjet]] engine, which, unlike the more traditional propulsion systems for nuclear weapons, will have radioactive exhaust throughout its entire operation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iz.ru/850008/anton-lavrov/khvost-burevestnika|title=Хвост "Буревестника"|author=Антон Лавров|date=26 February 2019|publisher=Izvestia|language=ru}}</ref>

Stratfor, an American geopolitical intelligence platform, assumes that ''Burevestnik'' utilizes a [[Engineering:Turbojet|turbojet]] engine and a liquid-fueled booster.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/russias-new-arms-gives-us-room-pause-missiles-putin|title=Russia's New Arms Give the U.S. Room for Pause|publisher=Stratfor|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

According to James Hockenhull, the UK's Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), the ''Burevestnik'' is a "sub-sonic nuclear-powered cruise missile system which has global reach and would allow attack from unexpected directions". Per Hockenhull, the missile would have "a near indefinite [[Social:Loitering munition|loiter]] time".<ref name="Hockenhull_telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/13/russia-has-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-could-circle-globe/ |title=Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile could 'circle the globe for years' |date=13 September 2020 |access-date=14 September 2020 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph }}</ref>

==Nyonoksa radiation accident==
On 9 August 2019, the Russian nuclear energy agency Rosatom confirmed a release of radioactivity at the State Central Navy Testing Range at Nyonoksa near Severodvinsk in northern Russia and stated it was linked to an accident involving the test of an "[[Engineering:Atomic battery|isotope power source]] for a liquid-fuelled rocket engine".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/10/russian-nuclear-agency-confirms-role-in-rocket-test-explosion|title=Russian nuclear agency confirms role in rocket test explosion|last=Roth|first=Andrew|date=10 August 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-08-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/world/europe/russia-explosion-radiation.html|title=Russia Confirms Radioactive Materials Were Involved in Deadly Blast|last=Kramer|first=Andrew E.|date=10 August 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-08-10}}</ref>
Five weapons scientists were killed in the accident.<ref name="urlRussian scientists killed in missile test explosion were working on new weapons">{{cite web |url=https://thedefensepost.com/2019/08/12/russia-missile-test-scientists-weapon/ |title=Russian scientists killed in missile test explosion were working on 'new weapons' |website=The Defense Post |date=12 August 2019 |access-date=2019-08-16}}</ref> Nonproliferation expert Jeffrey Lewis and [[Organization:Federation of American Scientists|Federation of American Scientists]] fellow Ankit Panda suspect the incident resulted from a test of the Burevestnik cruise missile.<ref name=reuterblast>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-blast-usa-idUSKCN1UZ2H5|title=U.S.-based experts suspect Russia blast involved nuclear-powered missile|last=Landay|first=Jonathan |date=10 August 2019|work=Reuters|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811085231/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-blast-usa-idUSKCN1UZ2H5|archive-date=2019-08-11 |url-status=live |access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref> However, other arms control experts disputed the assertions: Ian Williams of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and James Acton of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace expressed skepticism over Moscow's financial and technical capabilities to field the weapon,<ref>{{cite news|title=Is Russia's Doomsday Missile Fake News?|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/08/22/is-russias-doomsday-missile-fake-news-putin-hypersonic-nuclear-cruise-moscow-kremlin/|publisher=Foreign Policy|date=22 August 2019}}</ref> while Michael Kofman of the Wilson Center concluded that the explosion was probably not related to Burevestnik but instead to the testing of another military platform.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://russianmilitaryanalysis.wordpress.com/2019/08/15/mystery-explosion-at-nenoksa-test-site-its-probably-not-burevestnik/| author=Michael Kofman|title=Mystery explosion at Nenoksa test site: it's probably not Burevestnik|date=15 August 2019}}</ref>

According to {{wipe|CNBC}}, the explosion occurred during an attempt to recover a missile from the seabed which was lost during a previously failed test.<ref name=CNBC29082019>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/29/intel-says-russian-explosion-was-not-from-nuclear-powered-missile-test.html |title=US intel report says mysterious Russian explosion was triggered by recovery mission of nuclear-powered missile, not a test |work=CNBC |last=Macias |first=Amanda |date=21 August 2019 |access-date=11 October 2019}}</ref> On 10 October, Thomas DiNanno, member of the United States delegation to the United Nations General Assembly First Committee, stated that the "August 8th 'Skyfall' incident [...] was the result of a nuclear reaction that occurred during the recovery of a Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile", which "remained on the bed of the White Sea since its failed test early last year".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://statements.unmeetings.org/media2/21998264/united-states.pdf|title=2019 UN General Assembly First Committee of the United States of America General Debate Statement by Thomas G. DiNanno|website=statements.unmeetings.org|date=10 October 2019|access-date=11 October 2019|archive-date=11 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011185320/http://statements.unmeetings.org/media2/21998264/united-states.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 26 August, Aleksei Karpov, Russia's envoy to international organizations in Vienna, stated that the accident was linked to the development of weapons which Russia had to begin creating as "one of the tit-for-tat measures in the wake of the United States' withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/world/europe/russia-radiation-accident-isotopes.html|title=Russia Identifies 4 Radioactive Isotopes From Nuclear Accident|last=Kramer|first=Andrew E.|date=26 August 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref>

On 21 November, at the ceremony of presentation of posthumous awards to the dead men's families, Vladimir Putin stated that the scientists killed in the explosion on 8 August had been testing an “unparalleled” weapon: “We are talking about the most advanced and unparalleled technical ideas and solutions about weapons design to ensure Russia’s sovereignty and security for decades to come". He also noted that the "weapon is to be perfected regardless of anything".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50514306|title=Putin vows to perfect mystery rocket after engine blast|website=BBC|date=22 November 2019|access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/11/22/putin-says-unparalleled-weapons-tested-at-deadly-nuclear-accident-site-a68274|title=Putin Says 'Unparalleled' Weapons Tested at Deadly Nuclear Accident Site|website=The Moscow Times|date=22 November 2019|access-date=25 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ria.ru/20191121/1561433888.html|title=Путин рассказал о погибших в Северодвинске, создававших уникальное оружие|website=RIA Novosti|date=21 November 2019|access-date=25 November 2019|language=ru}}</ref>

==Test flights==
On 5 October 2023, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has successfully tested the Burevestnik.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-says-russia-has-tested-next-generation-nuclear-weapon-2023-10-05/ |title= Putin says Russia has tested next-generation nuclear weapon |date=5 October 2023 |access-date=5 October 2023 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-nuclear-test-missile-ukraine-war-2204f967c8739216ded2efc3f71a6e0f |title= Russia has tested a nuclear-powered missile and could revoke a global atomic test ban, Putin says |date=5 October 2023 |access-date=5 October 2023 |publisher=The Daily Telegraph }}</ref>

== Operators ==
*; {{RUS}}

==See also==
* [[Engineering:Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System|Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System]] (Poseidon) – a Russian nuclear torpedo / drone submarine, also built around a miniature nuclear propulsion unit
* [[Engineering:Supersonic Low Altitude Missile|Supersonic Low Altitude Missile]] (SLAM) – an American project to develop a nuclear-powered cruise missile, cancelled in 1964
* [[Physics:Project Pluto|Project Pluto]] – the nuclear ramjet engine development program for SLAM

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web|url=https://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2019-08-russia-says-small-nuclear-reactor-blew-up-in-deadly-arctic-accident|title=Russia says small nuclear reactor blew up in deadly Arctic accident|last=Digges|first=Charles|publisher=Bellona Foundation|date=12 August 2019}}
* {{cite web|url=https://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2019-08-russian-doctors-not-warned-patients-were-from-mysterious-radioactive-blast-says-report|title=Russian doctors not warned patients came from mysterious radioactive blast, says report|last=Digges|first=Charles|publisher=Bellona Foundation|date=19 August 2019}}
* {{cite web|url=https://bellona.org/news/nuclear-issues/2019-08-russian-radiation-detectors-went-dark-in-wake-of-mysterious-explosion|title=Russian radiation detectors went dark in wake of mysterious explosion|last=Digges|first=Charles|publisher=Bellona Foundation|date=20 August 2019}}
* {{cite web|url=http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-895.html|title=Ракета 9М730 / Крылатая ракета с ЯЭУ|website=militaryrussia.ru|language=ru|date=4 March 2018}}
* {{Cite web|trans-title=Nuclear-powered cruise missile with unlimited range|language=ru|url=http://vote.mil.ru/vote/krnd.htm|title=Крылатая ракета неограниченной дальности с ядерной энергетической установкой|access-date=2019-11-28|archive-date=2022-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403013153/http://vote.mil.ru/vote/krnd.htm|url-status=dead}} - MoD of the Russian Federation official website.

{{Nuclear propulsion}}

[[Category:Nuclear-powered aircraft]]
[[Category:Surface-to-surface missiles]]

{{Sourceattribution|9M730 Burevestnik}}