Russia has successfully conducted a test of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin described as capable of evading any defence system and unlike anything possessed by other nations, reported Reuters.
Speaking at a military command meeting on Sunday, Putin said the missile’s “crucial testing” had been completed and preparations were now underway for its deployment. “It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has,” the Russian president said, dressed in camouflage fatigues, according to remarks released by the Kremlin.
Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, briefed Putin that the missile had travelled about 14,000 km and remained airborne for nearly 15 hours during its October 21 test. Gerasimov said the missile flew on nuclear power throughout the test and was designed to overcome any existing or future missile defence systems.
The 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel), known to Nato as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is touted by Moscow as having an unlimited range and unpredictable flight path, making it “invincible” to interception. Putin said that some Russian experts had once doubted whether the system was achievable, but that testing had now proved its viability.
He told Gerasimov that Russia must now determine how to classify the weapon and prepare the necessary infrastructure for its deployment. “The so-called modernity of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level,” Putin said. “The strategic forces are capable of ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation and the Union State in full,” as quoted by the agency.
The missile test came days after Putin oversaw exercises of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces across land, sea, and air to assess their readiness and command structure.
According to the federation of American scientists (FAS), Russia and the United States together hold about 87 per cent of the world’s nuclear arsenal - with Moscow possessing around 5,459 nuclear warheads and Washington about 5,177 - enough to destroy the planet many times over.
Putin said the success of the Burevestnik test demonstrated that Russia’s nuclear deterrent was “at the highest level, higher than any other nuclear power.”
Speaking at a military command meeting on Sunday, Putin said the missile’s “crucial testing” had been completed and preparations were now underway for its deployment. “It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has,” the Russian president said, dressed in camouflage fatigues, according to remarks released by the Kremlin.
Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, briefed Putin that the missile had travelled about 14,000 km and remained airborne for nearly 15 hours during its October 21 test. Gerasimov said the missile flew on nuclear power throughout the test and was designed to overcome any existing or future missile defence systems.
The 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel), known to Nato as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is touted by Moscow as having an unlimited range and unpredictable flight path, making it “invincible” to interception. Putin said that some Russian experts had once doubted whether the system was achievable, but that testing had now proved its viability.
He told Gerasimov that Russia must now determine how to classify the weapon and prepare the necessary infrastructure for its deployment. “The so-called modernity of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level,” Putin said. “The strategic forces are capable of ensuring the national security of the Russian Federation and the Union State in full,” as quoted by the agency.
The missile test came days after Putin oversaw exercises of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces across land, sea, and air to assess their readiness and command structure.
According to the federation of American scientists (FAS), Russia and the United States together hold about 87 per cent of the world’s nuclear arsenal - with Moscow possessing around 5,459 nuclear warheads and Washington about 5,177 - enough to destroy the planet many times over.
Putin said the success of the Burevestnik test demonstrated that Russia’s nuclear deterrent was “at the highest level, higher than any other nuclear power.”
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