In the fall of 2023, Russia successfully tested the intercontinental cruise missile "Burevestnik" with a nuclear installation, as President Vladimir Putin even stated at a meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club. Details about the missile are classified, but it is known that its development began in 2001 after the US decision to withdraw from the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems, signed in 1972.
From open sources, it can be learned that "Burevestnik" has virtually unlimited range thanks to its nuclear power plant. It is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Russian military officials noted that the low-flying, low-observable cruise missile is invulnerable to all existing systems of both air and missile defense.
Experts added that "Burevestnik" is similar to the Kh-101 air-to-surface cruise strategic missile, which is 74 centimeters in diameter and almost 7.5 meters long. However, the new military development may be one and a half to two times larger.
These dimensions suggest that the missile also has an impressive weight — with a launch mass greater than 2500 kg for the same Kh-101. It is likely that "Burevestnik" will require a ground-based launcher, as the warhead is too heavy for an aircraft.
The missile launch and a complex of ground tests allow us to move on to creating a fundamentally new type of weapon – a strategic nuclear weapons complex with a missile equipped with a nuclear power plant.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that the Russian MLRS "Tornado-G" has been modernized. The improvements concerned communications, ammunition and control.
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