KRND Burevestnik [Petrel] SSC-X-9 SKYFALL
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Specification / Range | Sources & Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Russian Designation | 9M730 Burevestnik (GRAU index) ??????????? (Storm Petrel) |
Russian Ministry of Defense official designation. Name selected March 2018 via public vote on MoD website. > |
| NATO Reporting Name | SSC-X-9 Skyfall ("SSC" = Surface-to-Surface Cruise; "X" = Experimental) |
NATO designation system. "X" prefix indicates system not yet operational. Army Recognition |
| Type | Ground-launched, nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed strategic cruise missile Low-altitude, terrain-following cruise missile |
Classified as strategic weapon by Russia. UK Chief of Defence Intelligence James Hockenhull characterization. |
| Development Status | In development and testing since 2016 Reported successful test: October 21, 2025 (disputed) Anticipated operational deployment: No earlier than 2027 |
Development initiated December 2001. Russian sources claim 2027 deployment. Western analysts skeptical. Al Jazeera |
| Developer | NPO Novator (Yekaterinburg) - airframe and missile systems All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (Sarov) - nuclear propulsion unit Rosatom - reactor integration |
Multiple Russian sources. NPO Novator specializes in cruise missiles (Kalibr family). Sarov handles nuclear weapons design. |
| Length | At Launch (with booster): Approximately 12 m (39.4 ft) In Cruise Flight (booster jettisoned): Approximately 9 m (29.5 ft) |
Reported by Nezavisimaya Gazeta based on Russian sources. Dimension change reflects solid-fuel booster separation after launch; Techinsider.ru (Russian) |
| Diameter / Cross-Section | Nose cross-section: Elliptical, approximately 1.0 m × 1.5 m (3.3 ft × 4.9 ft) Body diameter: Approximately 1.0-1.2 m |
Nezavisimaya Gazeta reporting. Elliptical cross-section may aid stealth characteristics and accommodate reactor geometry. |
| Wingspan | Approximately 6 m (19.7 ft) reported Wings positioned on upper fuselage (unusual for cruise missiles) |
Russian defense publications. Upper wing placement noted by Pavel Ivanov (VPK-news), contrasting with Kh-101's lower wing configuration. |
| Launch Weight / Mass | Estimated: 20,000-24,000 kg (22-24 metric tonnes) Comparison: 10 times heavier than Kh-101 (2.4 tonnes) |
Pavel Ivanov (VPK-news) states Burevestnik mass is "an order of magnitude greater" than Kh-101. Multiple sources cite 24 tonnes. Nuclear reactor accounts for significant mass; New Atlas |
| Reactor Mass | Core Estimated: 50-150 kg highly enriched uranium Total Reactor System: Multiple tonnes including shielding, moderators, structural elements Putin claimed reactor is "1,000 times smaller" than submarine reactor at comparable power |
Technical estimates based on U.S. Project Pluto Tory reactors and Russian satellite reactor experience. Critics question miniaturization claims. Wattyalan Reports; BASIC |
| Propulsion System | Launch Phase: Solid-fuel rocket booster Cruise Phase: Nuclear-powered air-breathing engine Type: Open-cycle nuclear ramjet (most likely) or turbojet Mechanism: Atmospheric air heated by nuclear reactor to 1,400-2,600°C, expelled for thrust |
Dual propulsion confirmed by multiple sources. Open-cycle design inferred from mass constraints. Anton Lavrov suggests ramjet; Stratfor suggests turbojet. ; Techinsider.ru; Wattyalan Reports |
| Reactor Power Output | Estimated Thermal: 1-20 MW Thrust Generated: 15-30 kilonewtons (estimated) Reactor Startup: "Minutes and seconds" claimed by Putin (October 2025) |
Estimates vary widely. U.S. Tory-IIC achieved 600 MW thermal from 1.2m diameter core. Thrust estimates from propulsion analysis. Wattyalan Reports; BASIC |
| Speed | Subsonic: 850-1,300 km/h (529-808 mph) Mach Number: Mach 0.7-1.1 (high subsonic to low transonic) October 2025 Test: Averaged approximately 933 km/h (Mach 0.75) over 15 hours Putin claim of hypersonic capability (>Mach 5) assessed as implausible |
Speed range from multiple Russian and Western sources. 14,000 km in 15 hours = 933 km/h average. Nuclear ramjet physics preclude hypersonic speeds. New Atlas; Techinsider.ru |
| Range | Claimed: "Practically unlimited" / "Global range" Western Estimates: 10,000-20,000 km (6,200-12,400 mi) operational range Reported October 2025 Test: 14,000 km (8,700 mi) in 15 hours Earlier Assessment (Nuclear Threat Initiative): Up to 3,000 km Theoretical: Limited by structural integrity, guidance accuracy degradation, not fuel |
Russian officials claim unlimited range due to nuclear power. Western analysts skeptical. Gen. Gerasimov's October 2025 claim unverified. Range limited by airframe durability and reactor reliability, not fuel exhaustion. ; Defense Express |
| Flight Altitude | Cruise Altitude: 25-100 m (82-328 ft) above terrain Design Feature: Terrain-following, nap-of-the-earth flight profile Purpose: Evade radar detection and bypass missile defense systems |
Low-altitude capability emphasized in Russian statements. Terrain-following requires sophisticated guidance. UK CDI assessment. Army Recognition; Techinsider.ru |
| Flight Endurance | Demonstrated (claimed): 15 hours (October 2025) Theoretical: Days to months continuous flight possible Practical: Limited by structural fatigue, reactor materials degradation, guidance drift |
Nuclear power enables extended loiter time. U.S. analysts note subsonic speed makes extended flight vulnerable to detection and interception despite stealth features. Hertie School Brief |
| Warhead | Type: Single thermonuclear warhead Yield: Information Not Available (INA) - undisclosed Likely Range: 100-1,000 kt (strategic yield) Test Configuration: Warhead not carried during flight tests (confirmed) |
Configured for nuclear payload. Specific yield classified. Strategic weapon implies substantial yield. Not armed during tests due to risk. Army Recognition; New Atlas |
| Guidance System | Primary: Inertial Navigation System (INS) Midcourse Updates: GLONASS satellite navigation Terrain Matching: Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) or equivalent Terminal Phase: INA Accuracy (CEP): INA - not publicly disclosed |
Standard cruise missile guidance suite inferred. Extended flight increases navigation error accumulation. No data on terminal guidance or accuracy. Army Recognition |
| Launch Platform | Primary: Ground-based road-mobile Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) Possible Future: Submarine-launched variant reportedly under consideration Air Launch: Impossible due to mass (no Russian aircraft can carry 24-tonne payload) |
TEL deployment confirmed. Pavel Ivanov notes mass eliminates Tu-160/Tu-95 as carriers. Submarine variant unconfirmed speculation. |
| Probable Deployment Site | Location: Vologda-20, near Chebsara Distance from Moscow: 475 km (295 mi) north Coordinates: Approximately 15 km southwest of Chebsara Status: Construction observed 2023-2024 via satellite imagery |
Identified by U.S. researchers Decker Eveleth (Center for Naval Analyses) and Jeffrey Lewis (Middlebury Institute) through satellite imagery analysis showing characteristic protective berms. |
| Test Sites | Primary: Novaya Zemlya archipelago (Arctic) Secondary: Kapustin Yar (Astrakhan region) - early tests without reactor Accident Site: State Central Navy Testing Range, Nyonoksa (White Sea) Activity Observed: September 2023, September 2024 |
Multiple test sites used 2016-2025. Novaya Zemlya used for nuclear-powered tests. Nyonoksa explosion August 8, 2019 killed five scientists. |
| Test Record | Total Known Tests: At least 13 (2016-2024) Successes: 2 partial successes Typical Flight Duration: <2 minutes, <35 km distance Possible Failure: August 8, 2019 - reactor explosion, 5 fatalities, radiation release Latest Claimed Success: October 21, 2025 - 14,000 km, 15 hours (unverified) |
Nuclear Threat Initiative tracking; U.S. intelligence assessments. Most tests ended in failure with premature crashes. October 2025 test cannot be independently confirmed. Norway detected no radiation spike. Defense Express; Hertie School |
| Radiological Hazard | Operational Emissions: Continuous radioactive exhaust during flight (open-cycle design) Crash Consequences: Radiological contamination at impact site Test Risk: Demonstrated by August 2019 accident Path Contamination: Leaves radioactive trail along flight path |
Open-cycle nuclear ramjet inherently emits radioactive particles. Hans Christensen (Federation of American Scientists) stated "radioactive leaks in the fall of the rocket are inevitable." Similar concern ended U.S. Project Pluto. |
| Operational Role | Mission: Strategic nuclear strike Targets: High-value, hardened targets protected by missile defenses Employment: Second-strike weapon after initial ICBM attack Advantage: Unpredictable flight paths, ability to circumvent defenses, loiter capability |
Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov stated purpose is targeting command posts and infrastructure after ICBM strikes. Designed to defeat U.S./NATO missile defense systems. Modern Diplomacy |
| Strategic Assessment | U.S. Air Force (2020): If deployed, would provide "unique weapon with intercontinental-range capability" Western Analysts: Skeptical of military utility, technological viability, and safety Cost-Benefit: Questioned whether advantages justify enormous development costs and risks Vulnerability: Subsonic speed makes extended flights detectable and interceptable |
National Air and Space Intelligence Center assessment. Multiple experts including Ian Williams (CSIS), James Acton (Carnegie), Pavel Luzin (Tufts) question practicality. IISS; Al Jazeera |
| Arms Control Status | New START Treaty: Deployment would not violate current terms Treaty Limitation: Covers deployed strategic delivery vehicles and warheads, not specific systems Verification: Difficult to verify due to mobile ground launch |
Russian sources state compliance with New START. Ground-mobile deployment complicates verification compared to ICBM silos or bomber bases. |
| Cost | Unit Cost: INA - not disclosed Program Cost: INA - not disclosed Estimated: Extremely expensive due to nuclear propulsion complexity Comparison: Likely exceeds ICBM costs significantly |
No cost information available. Development of nuclear propulsion for single-use weapon implies enormous per-unit costs. Critics question economic rationality. Al Jazeera |
| Comparison to U.S. Project Pluto | Project Pluto (1957-1964): U.S. nuclear ramjet program Tory-IIA: First U.S. reactor test, May 1961 Tory-IIC: Second test, May 1964, 600 MW thermal Cancellation Reasons: Radiological hazard, political provocations, ICBMs more effective Russian Achievement: If successful, solves problems that stopped U.S. program |
Burevestnik represents revival of concept U.S. proved technically feasible but deemed too dangerous/provocative to deploy. Russians claim to have miniaturized reactor beyond U.S. 1960s achievement. BASIC |
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