The 9M730 Burevestnik Nears Readiness
Valery Gerasimov reports progress on the SKYFALL SSC-X-9 nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile (4 November update)
***UPDATE 001*** Putin weighs in on the Burvestnik on 29 October:
“You’ve probably heard this too: a new, cutting-edge, unlimited-range nuclear-powered missile was recently tested. It has undeniable advantages, and we can be proud of the achievements of our scientists, specialists, engineers, and workers who made it all possible.”
“The advantages are that this small nuclear propulsion system, while comparable in power to, say, a nuclear submarine’s nuclear reactor, is a thousand times smaller than a submarine’s nuclear reactor—a thousand times smaller! But that’s not even the most important thing—the most important thing is that while a conventional nuclear reactor starts up in hours, days, or weeks, this nuclear reactor starts up in minutes and seconds. That’s a tremendous achievement.”
“We’ll be able to apply this to our national economy, and we’ll be able to use it in the future to address energy security in the Arctic, and we’ll use it in the lunar program. Even now, the radiation-hardened electronics used in the Burevestnik rocket are already being used in space programs, so this is a breakthrough not only in enhancing the country’s defense capability, but also in science and the national economy of the future.”
***UPDATE 002*** Putin awards the designers of the Burvestnik on 4 November:
The developers of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered, unlimited-range strategic cruise missile and the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle were awarded well-deserved state awards.
I would like to thank you and all the scientific and production teams – tens of thousands of people who participated in the creation of this powerful, effective, and unique weapon.
The result you have achieved is, without exaggeration, of historic significance for our people, for ensuring security and strategic parity for decades to come, and one could safely say for the entire 21st century.
The Burevestnik’s range is known to surpass all known missile systems in the world. It boasts high target accuracy, hitting its target precisely and confidently within a predetermined time.
I think foreign specialists were able to verify this as well, since a NATO reconnaissance ship was constantly present in the area during the Burevestnik tests on October 21st. We didn’t interfere with its operations. Let them see.
I’d especially like to highlight the unique operation of the rocket’s powerful, ultra-small nuclear reactors. Startup takes seconds, while conventional reactors require hours or even days.
A new generation of weapons is already being developed based on similar power plants. Moreover, development has begun on the next generation of nuclear-powered cruise missiles. Their speed will be more than three times the speed of sound, and in the future, they will even become hypersonic. We recently discussed this with some of our colleagues in this room.
Work on the Poseidon spacecraft is closely linked to the creation of Burevestnik…
…And of course, your success, the creation of other highly complex systems like Burevestnik and Poseidon, is evidence of the enormous potential and capabilities of our modern science, universities and educational institutions, industry, and the economy as a whole.
I’ll point out—and this is important, as I’ve already mentioned, it’s especially important—that Burevestnik and Poseidon use only domestically produced materials. Thanks to extensive cooperation—and I emphasize again, this involves thousands upon thousands of people, specialists—a veritable treasure trove of new materials, technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles, software, and digital solutions, as well as component base elements, has been created. Their use will enable us to achieve breakthroughs not only in the defense industry but also in many civilian sectors while implementing a number of priority national projects and programs…
…As for the component base and electronic filling of the Burevestnik and Poseidon, they will be used in the creation of powerful computers, in the development of digital infrastructure, control and communication systems….
…And finally, the reason we’ve gathered here today. Russia is finally acquiring the Burevestnik unlimited-range cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle….
So, there was a great deal of nuclear news over the past few weeks (as of 27 October 2025), including on the Burevestnik missile - but before we get into the news, what is Burevestnik?
Burevestnik Basics
Burevestnik is a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed (estimated at two megatons) cruise missile with a liquid-fuelled booster. The use of a nuclear reactor to power the missile is unusual - but it remains a cruise missile, and is sub-sonic (e.g., very slow compared to ballistic missiles), fully manouverable (at least as manouverable as an aircraft). The missile was announced on 1 March 2018 by President Vladimir Putin, one of six new systems Russia was developing or had developed to threaten the United States. The attendant video is not at all alarming, no, not at all.
Burevestnik poses a specific challenge in terms of being able to fly nape-of-the-Earth (and thus avoid some radars), and due to its nuclear power generator, it can attack the United States from any angle, including vectors undefended (or under-defended) by missile defences. In theory, it could have an unlimited range - small reactors can last quite a long time - and Gerasimov said that the 21 October 2025 test had a flight time of 14 hours, which even at a slow speed would equal about 10,000 km. A December 2020 article in VPK estimated the range as between 10,000 and 20,000 km.
Burevestnik History
The US developed the concept starting in 1946 under the NEPA (Nuclear Energy for the Propulsion of Aircraft) project succeeded by the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion (ANP) program all of which was formally discontinued in 1961 by President Kennedy. The Soviets launched their own program in 1955, and eventually abandoned over the obvious safety issues around a flying nuclear reactor.
Izvestia claims that the decision to build Burevestnik came in December 2001, following the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty (without evidence, but interesting due to the source). The Diplomat published an article citing American intelligence that Burevestnik was first tested at Kaputsin Yar in June 2016, with one “moderately successful test” in November 2017 from the Pank’ovo test site on Nova Zemlya, which remains a significant launch site today. That missile crashed after two minutes of flight and Russia had to recover the wreckage from the Barents Sea, according to Ankit Panda. Another occured on 26 February 2018, which was the 12th test known to US intelligence at that time. Russia susequently conducted a successful test on 29 January 2019.
Then, on 7 Augusst 2019, disaster struck the program. Five scientists were killed in an explosion at Nonetsk, whicih Rosatom claimed occured during testing of an “after missile tests conducted on an offshore platform, the rocket fuel ignited, followed by an explosion. Rosatom said the explosion killed five of their employees “who were working on a radioisotope power source contained in the rocket.” Rosatom said the project involved “the creation of small-scale energy sources using radioactive fissile materials…It’s a nuclear battery, to be clear.”
On 5 October 2023 Putin announced that Russia had conducted the final successful Burevestnik test. Which, clearly, was not at all the final test…that brings us to…
Russian nuclear news klaxon! HONK!
In a meeting between Putin and Gerasimov on 25 October 2025, Gerasimov reported on the status of Russia’s 9M730 Burevestnik missile, NATO name SS-X-9 Skyfall. Here’s the link so you can read it yourself.
https://rutube.ru/play/embed/8cbffffd5f15f8a739da83a3186268ba/
Gerasimov’s statement came during Putin’s visit to the command posts of the Joint Group of Forces with the Joint Military District commanders. Most of the briefing was on the status of Russian’s ongoing war on Ukraine, with some bragging about the state of Russia’s strategic froces exercise, GROM.
“Regarding the training of strategic offensive forces, we have once again confirmed the reliability of Russia’s nuclear shield. The strategic forces are capable of fully ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation and the Union State, as we have already discussed. This is a well-known fact, even to all military experts. The so-called modernity of our Armed Forces, or rather, our nuclear deterrent forces, is at the highest level; it’s probably no exaggeration to say that it exceeds that of at least all nuclear states.”
Putin said that while much work needs to be done before they achieve combat alert, the testing is complete and “key objectives have now been achieved.” He then turned to Gerasimov for his assessment of the “unique product, unlike anything else in the world” as he called it.
“I’d like to ask the Chief of the General Staff to report on one more event, which I briefly mentioned in my opening remarks – the testing of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile of unlimited range. I know, I have a report from industry, and I’m also familiar with the Ministry of Defense’s assessments – this is, after all, a unique product, unlike anything else in the world.”
Gerasimov said Burevestnik was tested on 21 October, flying for 15 hours, powered by a nuclear reactor, covering a distance of 14,000 kilometers, “and that’s not the limit.” He said it can “be used with guaranteed accuracy against highly protected targets at any distance.”
Gerasimov said it completed “vertical and horizontal maneuvers” to bypass “anti-missile and air defense systems.” Putin concluded that they need to determine the missile’s class and possible uses and to prepare for system deployment.
The BBC in particular tracked the WC-135R Constant Phoenix mission that watched the more recent testing.
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/64-14829#3be537a7
They also tracked a massive deployment of Russian aircraft to Nova Zemlya.
https://t.me/strategicontrol/47331
This last article is quite important, as it includes the A-50U AWACS aircraft and two Il-976 SKIPs, which they use for missile launch monitoring, and a large ship deployment to montior the test.
Pan’kovo (the launch site on Nova Zemlya watch
planesandstuff (on twitter and wordpress) has been doing extraordinary work on monitoring Pan’kovo. He first started documenting the facility in 2022 and continues to follow up with magnum opus after magnum opus on the topic.
The Leonkov Article (what is Burevestnik for?)
In 2019, Alexander Leonkov gave a concept of operations for Burevestnik in Rossiskaya Gazeta:
“The Burevestnik, like the Poseidon underwater drone, is a retaliatory weapon, a weapon to be used after the warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) have been deployed against the aggressor’s territory. It’s clear that after a retaliatory strike by our Strategic Missile Forces, some of the aggressor country’s military and civilian infrastructure will remain—backup command posts, secure military bases, factories, power plants, etc. Such “remnants” will allow the aggressor country to continue waging war against Russia. This is precisely when a “retaliatory weapon” will be needed.”
“The Poseidons will strike coastal targets, while the Burevestniks will strike all targets deep in the aggressor’s territory. However, it’s not certain that the remaining air and missile defense systems will be able to provide a full-fledged defense (there will be many gaps in that defense), and air situation monitoring systems in an ionized atmosphere are unlikely to detect the “radioactive exhaust” of our cruise missile. Furthermore, the Burevestnik will maneuver, avoiding any remaining air defense zones it detects.”
“Thus, the Burevestniks will complete the destruction of all military and civilian infrastructure of the aggressor country, leaving it no chance of survival. I will leave the number of Burevestniks needed for this behind the scenes.”
Leonokov ends with this charming coda:
“…states harboring aggressive plans against Russia and its allies must know that the arrival of the Burevestniks not only means the end of all their hopes for victory, but also the end of their statehood. It is the Burevestniks, not the Tomahawks, that will trample the aggressor countries back into the Stone Age, and nothing else.”
In conclusion
Also - be sure to read the excellent article by @Wright_T_J, formerly of IISS, on the 9M730 from 2023, and Fabian Hoffmann’s assessment of the system:
https://x.com/FRHoffmann1/status/1982409465308860826
I’ll leave the last word to the inimitable Etienne Marcuz:
“this weapon, whose cost is likely exorbitant, does not alter the strategic balance between Russia and its Western adversaries. It is, therefore, a strategic non-event.”
Resources! Get your red hot resources!
Here’s several more articles in English and Russian. Kudos to @BBCWorld for the best of the articles and @GuyReuters for relentless reporting on Burevestnik and Russian nuclear developments.
https://www.rbc.ru/politics/26/10/2025/68fdc03a9a794707baf61542
https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/articles/c3r4el875dno.amp
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/russia-declares-9m730-burevestnik-nuclear-cruise-missile-test-marks-global-reach-capability
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/russia-tested-new-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-top-general-says-2025-10-26/
https://news.sky.com/story/vladimir-putin-tests-new-invincible-nuclear-powered-missile-13457838
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957
http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/78341
https://thediplomat.com/2018/08/russia-readies-recovery-effort-for-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-lost-at-sea-in-2017/
https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/russia-conducts-test-of-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile/
http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/72444
https://www.vpk-news.ru/articles/59856
https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jan/11/2002563190/-1/-1/0/2020%20BALLISTIC%20AND%20CRUISE%20MISSILE%20THREAT_FINAL_2OCT_REDUCEDFILE.PDF
https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/military-balance/2021/02/burevestnik-russia-cruise-missile/
https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/missile-dialogue-initiative/2023/10/russia-claims-to-have-tested-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-nuclear-powered-cruise-missile-burevestnik-putin-b2852776.html
https://iz.ru/900895/2019-07-19/burevestnik-nazvali-oruzhiem-vozmezdiia-rossii-v-iadernoi-voine
https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/security/unusual-aircraft-activity-at-novaya-zemlya-linked-to-burevestnik-testing/435470
Also, here’s Pavel’s views on the missile and latest developments:
