Russia's NEW NUCLEAR MISSILE: The Burevestnik /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Col Jacques Baud

Daniel Davis Deep Dive Merch: Etsy store

Russia publicly unveiled and tested a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile (called Burevestnik by Russia; NATO designation SSC-X-9 “Skyfall”).

The Russians reported a multi-hour test flight on October 21 that covered about 14,000 km (they say that was not the missile’s maximum range).

Because it’s powered by a nuclear reactor, the missile’s range is effectively unlimited compared with conventional-fuel cruise missiles.

It flies at very low altitude (≈25–100 m) and at sub- to supersonic speeds (roughly 800–1,300 km/h), making detection by ground radars difficult and complicating interception.

The system revives ideas from Soviet Cold War concepts (e.g., MOB/FOBS — fractional orbital bombardment) but as a long-endurance low-altitude cruise weapon rather than an orbital weapon.

Experts in the discussion (host + Colonel Jacques Bo, former Swiss Strategic Intelligence and NATO officer) call it dangerous and potentially a game-changer because it offers Russia new ways to bypass existing missile-defense coverage and to strike from unexpected directions.

They note it’s not entirely surprising (it was known on paper before), and detection/interception may still be possible (satellite detection, not just ground radars), but it would be extremely difficult—especially if launched from unexpected vectors.

The missile’s existence and testing increase global tensions and complicate arms-control/crisis-management dynamics, especially given the background of the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war and the erosion of arms-control regimes (e.g., the ABM treaty’s end).