"Black lightning like": Russian nuclear "Petrel" is preparing for takeoff

American researchers claim that Russia is preparing to deploy a nuclear-powered cruise missile "Burevestnik", which was first announced on March 1, 2018 in his message to the Federal Assembly by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As evidence, analysts of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) cite changes in satellite images of the closed arsenal of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (GUMO) of Russia near the settlement Vologda-20. Indeed, here is one of the repositories of the 12th GUMO, next to which construction is underway, visible from space.

This construction site was connected overseas with the possible preparation for the deployment of a launch base for future strategic cruise missiles with unlimited range. The logic of the researchers here is simple — nuclear missiles, they must have nuclear warheads, the subject is secret, and where else to place such missiles, except not in the department of the 12th GUMO.

The findings of the researchers were picked up by the Western media. They are already talking about the construction of a missile launch pad with nuclear power plants in the center of the European part of Russia. Could it be true?

Theoretically, this is possible, although, for example, in the regions of the Far North, such an infrastructure facility would most likely be safer. After all, working with nuclear materials can be very dangerous.

In addition, there is not yet any clear and clear information about the completion of the creation of the specified combat system. After the first demonstration on March 1, 2018, the Burevestnik rocket received the designation SSC-X-9 Skyfall in the West.

The Russian index of this rocket is also called "9M730", which in fact does not correspond to reality. Apparently, work on the rocket has indeed been carried out in recent years both at the Novaya Zemlya test site and in Nenokse near Severodvinsk, and at the missile range in Kapustin Yara. But it seems that the completion of the tests and the deployment of the Petrel is still far away.

We are talking about an aircraft with folding wings, which in its aerodynamic scheme is similar to other cruise missiles. It starts from a ground-based launcher on a solid-fuel accelerator, accelerates to the required speed, at which it turns on the main air-jet engine with a nuclear power plant.

In such an engine, atmospheric air is heated to exhaust temperature by a heat exchanger of a small but powerful nuclear reactor. At least, this should be the case in theory — it is clear that no one publicly reports the details of top-secret weapons.

With the condition that the reactor can work for weeks, such a rocket can be in the air for a very long time. In part of the sources, a range of 22,000 km was mentioned, but, most likely, the range of action is really conditionally unlimited. Accordingly, when using such missiles, they can go to the combat duty and waiting area and from there they can go to the received targets if they receive an order. The "Doomsday" missile, which provides inevitable retaliation in the event of an attack on Russia. It is in this capacity that this weapon system is being created.

Such missiles could strike at any point of the globe from any direction. They could bypass air defense systems and, while providing satellite communications, receive new information about possible obstacles and targets.

Of course, a rocket with a nuclear reactor on board should not fall and crash, but there is probably also a special procedure for terminating the flight with a safe descent to earth, for example, using a parachute system to special return areas. The current level of technology development makes it possible to achieve a high degree of reliability and safety of such products.

According to Izvestia, the creation of such a rocket in our country became possible after the success of nuclear physicists in developing compact and powerful nuclear reactors. These discoveries gave impetus to several developments — the Burevestnik rocket, the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle and, probably, other energy-intensive projects.

Attempts to create aircraft with nuclear power plants were conducted in the 1950s-1960s in the USA and The Soviet Union. Then the opportunity to create a carrier aircraft with unlimited time in the air and overseas was very attractive, and we conducted research on the creation of nuclear long-range bombers based on the B-36 and Tu-95.

But by the early 1960s, these works were curtailed both because of the extremely high cost and because of the inability to ensure the nuclear safety of aircraft. And not only in case of a flight accident, but also in order to protect pilots from the effects of a nuclear reactor. It turned out to be noticeably more efficient to build conventional heavy bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and both countries postponed indefinitely the development of aircraft with nuclear reactors.

Of course, the deployment in Russia's similar missile systems will affect the overall balance of strategic nuclear forces. Apparently, creating such a missile with non—nuclear combat equipment is completely ineffective — it will carry a powerful thermonuclear warhead and its main purpose is a retaliatory nuclear strike.

Probably, the appearance of the Petrel will cause some kind of response in the West - maybe they will develop detection and air defense systems there, or maybe they will start preparing some kind of symmetrical response.

In any case, when the parties enter into negotiations on nuclear safety and reducing the threat of war, this factor — the latest retaliatory strike systems — can no longer be ignored. He will have to be reckoned with, and this gives us extra points.