Russia’s 9M730 Burevestnik, known to NATO as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall, represents one of the most secretive and potentially game-changing weapons in Moscow’s strategic arsenal — a nuclear-powered cruise missile theoretically capable of unlimited range and global reach.
According to diagrams released by the Russian Ministry of Defense and independent analyses, the Burevestnik uses a miniature nuclear reactor as its power source. The reactor drives a turbine and compressor system, drawing in air, compressing it, and heating it with nuclear energy before ejecting it as thrust — a process that could, in theory, keep the missile airborne indefinitely.
This propulsion concept allows the Burevestnik to evade radar and missile defenses, flying at low altitudes (25–100 meters) and subsonic speeds between 850–1,300 km/h. It can carry either a nuclear or conventional warhead, giving it both tactical and strategic flexibility.
The missile launches using a booster rocket, which propels it to the speed necessary for the nuclear engine to activate. Once operational, the onboard reactor supplies energy for propulsion and guidance, effectively removing the range limitations of traditional fuel-based cruise missiles.
If the Burevestnik functions as advertised, it could theoretically fly around the world, approaching targets from unpredictable directions — a nightmare scenario for early-warning and defense systems.
Russian state media has described the system as capable of ensuring “inevitable retaliation” in the event of a nuclear conflict, part of President Vladimir Putin’s “superweapon” portfolio, which also includes the Poseidon underwater drone and Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle.
Western analysts, however, remain skeptical. Tests between 2017 and 2021 reportedly resulted in several failures, including a fatal nuclear accident at a test site in Nyonoksa, northern Russia, which caused radiation leaks and multiple casualties.
Despite this, the program continues, signaling Moscow’s determination to maintain strategic deterrence through technological unpredictability. The Burevestnik’s very existence — whether fully operational or not — forces NATO and the U.S. to consider new layers of global threat planning, as it blurs the boundary between nuclear deterrence and perpetual airborne menace.
