Russia’s ‘Flying Chernobyl’ missile heralds new nuke arms race
A new nuclear-powered cruise missile, formally known as Burvestnik and referred to in information as” Flying Chernobyl,” has just been tested by Russia. It is a doom superweapon that was developed out of concern for losing nuclear balance with the US.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the powerful check at the Valdai Discussion Club’s annual meeting this month, according to The Warzone. He also asserted at the event that Russia is on the verge of fielding its most recent intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ), known as the RS – 28 Sarmat, which has raised questions about a new arms race.
According to the Warzone review, Burevestnik, which Putin first unveiled in March 2018, has since undergone testing at a number of locations, including Pankovo in the Arctic Ocean. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Burevestnik is a nuclear-powered proper weapon with an unrestricted range that uses ramjet engines or nuclear thermal rockets as its main propulsion system.
The” Flying Chernobyl” title refers to the missile’s health problems, which include its transfer of nuclear material and the death of its atomic power supply after detonation.
Five weapons scientists were killed in a radioactivity release at the State Central Navy Testing Range in northern Russia in August 2019 by Rosatom & nbsp, the nuclear energy agency of Russia. This release was later connected to an accident involving the testing of an” isotope power source & nnpspe, for sa liquid-fueled rocket engine,” which resulted in their deaths.
Fellow Ankit Panda, a disarmament expert, Jeffrey Lewis, and the Federation of American Scientists, suspected the incident was the result of the Burevestnik test, though others have disputed that conclusion.
Putin recently suggested that life nuclear weapon testing may immediately resume in Russia, the US, and China. He also rejected the adoption of a fresh official nuclear weapons doctrine with lower requirements for employment. The Warzone claims that despite this, it is still unclear how the Burevestnik program will develop or whether the missile will actually be deployed.
Leah Walker claims that Russian concerns about US missile defence dating back to the Soviet Union and former US president Ronald Reagan’s support for the Strategic Defense Initiative were the driving forces behind the development of the Burevestnik in an article published in April 2020 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Science Policy and Governance.
Walker adds that more recent US initiatives, like the Conventional Prompt Strike( CPS ), have also raised Moscow’s nuclear alarm bells. Additionally, Russia may have been forced to speed up Burevestnik-related testing as a result of recent confirmed progress on America’s prototype nuclear-tipped AGM-181A Long Range Stand Off( LRSO ) cruise missile.
In order to strengthen its air-based nuclear deterrent against new threats from China and Russia, Asia Times reported on US testing of the AGM-181A LRSO this quarter. The Long Range Strike family’s AGM – 181A LRSO has successfully completed nine significant trip tests, demonstrating its large resilience with a subtle airframe.
Additionally, the US missile reportedly underwent four powered flight tests, one of which was a Controlled Test Mission ( CTM – 1 ) test. The US’s retrenchment of its atomic army following the previous Cold War does require the AGM – 181A LRSO to close a perceived nuclear deterrence space.
China and Russia, near-peer rivals, have continued to develop tactical nuclear weapons at the same time. The creation of the AGM-181A LRSO could result in a proportionate nuclear answer from China and Russia, leading to proper cooperation to build up their respective nuclear arsenals and rekindling the US and China’s nuclear arms race.
The US and Soviet Union looked into design nuclear-powered ramjets for use in tactical bombers and long-range weapons during the Cold War to extend the reach collection of their airpower. More energy was needed at longer ranges, which in turn required larger aircraft. But, nuclear-powered ramjets were seen as an alternative to creating larger aircraft.
They operate manually by introducing cold air from the front, heating it up over a nuclear reactor, and exhaling it to generate thrust. An aeroplane or missile may be powered by such an engine for days or even weeks.
Due to technical, protection, and operational issues, nuclear-powered plane and missile designs were not operationalized despite those developed by the US and the former Soviet Union.
Leah points out that the design of Burevestnik is comparable to the top-secret Project Pluto’s 1960s US Supersonic Low Altitude Missile( SLAM ), which sought to create a nuclear-powered cruise missile.
She points out that in the worst-case situation, SLAM, which can transport 14 to 26 nuclear weapons, would have been employed. Leah mentions that the US tested a working nuclear ramjet website in 1961, but it decided to abandon the project due to the dangers involved, including the potential for weapon launch.
Leah lists many difficulties in creating such a weapon. She points out that a small nuclear reactor that can survive the stresses of an air weapon must deal with intense pressure variations over the reactor’s body, extremely high temperatures required for the atomic reaction, and swift heat loss due to air stream cooling.
She notes that Project Pluto designed and constructed a 500 watt nuclear boiler that could survive warmth of more than 1, 371 degrees Celsius in order to meet these requirements.
Leah claims that in a sophisticated, strongly coupled, small-scale program, there is no way to reduce operating accidents. She also points out that despite the system’s propensity for accidents, any shutdown would probably never be considered a problem if it happened on enemy place because its failure could be just as disastrous for the adversary as its success.
Leah adds that operating a distribution system that doubles as an underground bomb poses an inherent risk and raises questions about nuclear proliferation. She points out that it would have a significant impact on the population and environment of the world if other nations pursued these weapons to keep nuclear parity with their peers.
She points out that a missile test would quickly have the same effects as an nuclear check if testing even one of these weapons results in ample damage and causing an explosion of the missile’s reactor.
The Burevestnik is a member of Russia’s” superweapon” family, and it is intended to demonstrate and highlight its military and technological prowess while also bringing mutually assured destruction( MAD ) to its enemies.
Richard Conolly notes that the Burevestnik, along with the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM, Avangard, Kinzhal, and Tsirkon fast missiles, as well as the Poseidon nuclear missile, were created in September 2021 for Chatham House in order to keep US corporate balance, breach US missile defenses and serve as leverage in upcoming arms control negotiations.
Conolly points out that Russia created these superweapons in response to concerns about an abrupt and significant US naval and air blitzkrieg. Their combined ability to support conventional or nuclear weapons gave Moscow a wider range of revenge options.
Conolly asserts that while the superweapons significantly enhance Russia’s military nuclear and conventional hit capabilities, they do not significantly alter its proper nuclear capability.
According to some estimates, it may take 15 to 20 times to restore Russia’s regular military features, which have been damaged in Ukraine. Russia does be forced to concentrate more on asymmetrical tactics in its ongoing conflict with the West as restrictions continue to deplete its economy and defence sector.
Disinformation, attacks, and lowering the bar for using tactical nuclear weapons like the Burevestnik are examples of such symmetric methods.
