Russian President Putin announced the "successful last test" of the Burevisnyk nuclear-powered cruise missile.
Why he called the test "the last" is still unclear. This may mean that the missile will soon be put into service.
At the beginning of October, The New York Times newspaper reported that Russia is preparing or has already conducted a test of the "Burevisnyk" on the Nova Zemlya archipelago (Arkhangelsk region). Journalists made this conclusion after analyzing satellite data.
American sources reported that Russia had conducted a series of tests of the "Petrel", but almost all of them were unsuccessful, and at best — "partially successful".
The Burevisnyk missile is one of six strategic missiles in Russiaʼs arsenal, along with the Dagger and the Avangard hypersonic missile system, which Putin introduced in his 2018 speech. He claimed that this weapon was capable of overcoming and bypassing US defenses. The missile can carry a conventional warhead, but in practice is most likely to carry a nuclear payload, albeit a smaller one than most other nuclear weapons. According to experts, if this missile is used in wartime, it will be able to destroy large urban areas and military facilities.
The missile is dangerous not only because of its ability to carry a powerful nuclear warhead, but also to release harmful radioactive emissions if it explodes or malfunctions during testing.
Preliminary tests of "Burevisnyk"
From 2017 to 2019, Russia conducted 13 known tests, all of which were unsuccessful. In previous tests, the missile could not fly a distance close to the calculated range, which according to various estimates is approximately 23 thousand kilometers. During the most successful test flight, which lasted just over two minutes, the missile flew 35 kilometers before falling into the sea, according to US officials. During another test, the rocketʼs nuclear reactor failed to activate, causing it to fall just a few kilometers from the launch pad. For the test to be successful and the rocket to be able to cover the greatest possible distance, the nuclear reactor of the rocket must start in flight.