Russia's new nuclear-powered missile | Project Force

Key Concepts

• Burevestnik Missile: A nuclear-tipped, nuclear-powered cruise missile developed by Russia, featuring unlimited range and low-altitude, subsonic flight capabilities to evade radar and missile defenses.
• Poseidon Nuclear-Powered Drone: A Russian underwater drone designed for deep-sea travel, powered by a nuclear mini-reactor, capable of delivering a 2-megaton nuclear warhead to coastal targets.
• Golden Dome: A proposed US ballistic missile defense shield, involving space-based sensors and weapons, intended to intercept ballistic missiles in flight.
• New START Treaty: The last major Cold War arms control agreement, signed in 2010, which limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles.
• Doomsday Clock: A symbolic clock maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, representing the proximity of humanity to global catastrophe, currently set at 90 seconds to midnight.

Russian Nuclear Weapon Development and Strategic Implications

Burevestnik Missile Test and Capabilities: In late October, Russia conducted a successful test of the Burevestnik missile, a novel weapon characterized by its nuclear tip and nuclear power source. This nuclear propulsion grants the missile theoretically unlimited range, allowing it to circumnavigate the globe multiple times before striking its target. The Burevestnik is designed to fly at low altitudes, just below the speed of sound, making it difficult for radar and existing missile defense systems to detect and intercept. This evasive capability significantly increases the likelihood of a nuclear warhead reaching its intended target.

Risks Associated with Testing: The testing of such a weapon carries inherent dangers. A specific test resulted in a crash that killed five individuals and contaminated the surrounding area with intense radiation emanating from the onboard reactor.

Poseidon Nuclear-Powered Drone: The Burevestnik is not Russia's only unconventional nuclear delivery system. The Poseidon is a nuclear-powered drone engineered for deep underwater operation. Similar to the Burevestnik, its onboard nuclear mini-reactor provides unlimited range. The Poseidon is capable of carrying a substantial nuclear warhead, up to 2 megatons, with the potential to devastate any port or coastal city it targets.

Circumventing Missile Defenses: Initially, Western analysts underestimated the strategic significance of these "exotic" weapons, viewing them as nuclear curiosities with limited practical applications. However, this assessment has proven incorrect. Following the abrogation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2001, Russia anticipated the development of ballistic missile defense systems by the United States. The Trump administration's announcement of the "Golden Dome" initiative, a network of space-based sensors and weapons aimed at intercepting ballistic missiles in mid-flight outside the Earth's atmosphere, exemplifies this anticipated threat.

The Burevestnik and Poseidon are specifically designed to circumvent such defenses. Coupled with Russia's new generation of hypersonic missiles, which can adopt unpredictable, high-speed trajectories, these weapons are all engineered to evade or deceive missile defense systems. The US investment in the Golden Dome is substantial, projected to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars, and is likely to face significant delays and cost overruns.

The New Nuclear Arms Race and Arms Control Landscape

Expiration of New START Treaty: The current geopolitical climate signifies a new nuclear arms race. The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last remaining major arms control agreement from the Cold War era, is scheduled to expire in February. Russia has indicated its intention to unilaterally adhere to the treaty's limitations as a gesture of goodwill, but the United States has not made a corresponding public commitment.

Expanding Nuclear Arsenals: While the US and Russia are currently maintaining their existing nuclear warhead numbers, other nations are actively increasing their stockpiles. China, for instance, has tripled its nuclear inventory in recent years. The United Kingdom has also announced plans to expand its nuclear weapons program for the first time in decades. Furthermore, the US recently indicated a potential resumption of nuclear weapons testing after a hiatus of several decades, a move that was quickly followed by a similar announcement from Russia.

Global Destabilization: The combination of an increasing number of nuclear warheads, a growing number of countries possessing them, and the development of new weapons designed to overcome missile defenses is contributing to a significant destabilization of the global security environment.

Conclusion: Proximity to Nuclear War

The current state of affairs, characterized by escalating nuclear capabilities and the erosion of arms control frameworks, has led to a heightened risk of nuclear conflict. The Doomsday Clock, a symbolic representation of humanity's proximity to global catastrophe, has been set at 90 seconds to midnight, its closest setting ever, underscoring the unprecedented level of danger the world faces regarding nuclear war.