Russia's Burevestnik 'Storm Bird': The Nuclear-Powered Missile Designed to Evade US Air Defenses

President Putin announced the successful final test of Russia's new nuclear-powered cruise missile, the Burevestnik, amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Experts indicate that this very-long-range weapon is designed to evade Western air defense systems through its terrain-hugging, low-flying capabilities, though its strategic impact remains limited for now.

The development of the Burevestnik, which means "storm bird" in Russian, was first revealed by Putin in 2018, well before Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. On Sunday, he declared the final test had been successfully completed.

Unlike conventional missiles propelled by chemical fuel, the Burevestnik utilizes a nuclear reactor. As explained by Amaury Dufay, an expert at France's Strategy and Defence Studies Institute, the reactor heats ambient air and expels it at high velocity to generate thrust, resulting in "considerably longer flight time and range."

The most recent test on October 21 demonstrated the missile's capability to fly for approximately 15 hours, covering a distance of 14,000 kilometers, easily putting the United States within its range.

Dufay noted that the missile's design allows it to "fly for a long time, very low, between 15 and 200 metres," making detection challenging. This capability means it could potentially "take off in Russia, make a detour via Latin America and then reach North America via the south," potentially approaching from less defended areas.

However, Heloise Fayet, a French nuclear expert, pointed out that the missile's relatively slow speed impacts its maneuverability.

The primary objective of the Burevestnik is to circumvent air defense systems, including the "Golden Dome" missile shield system planned by US President Trump, according to Russian analyst Dmitry Stefanovich.

Fayet suggested the missile could complement traditional missiles, using its "manoeuvring abilities and unlimited range" for "harassing and weakening missile defences" before conventional missile strikes.

Although Putin has ordered the necessary infrastructure for deployment, experts agree the missile's strategic impact remains limited at present. "The missile is not yet operational—there isn't for the moment any deployment infrastructure, no doctrine for its use," Fayet explained.

She characterized the Burevestnik as a "destabilisation weapon," suggesting it represents "an attempt by Putin to continue to exhaust Trump on the nuclear and missile defence issues" by convincing him of the necessity for the resource-intensive Golden Dome project.

While the United States and Europe currently lack defense shields capable of intercepting both ballistic and cruise missiles, Fayet acknowledged that Moscow's new nuclear-powered missile "shows the Russians are still capable of innovation."

Regarding radiation risks, Fayet indicated that the test appeared not to cause detectable radioactivity, noting that neither the Norwegian radiation monitoring agency nor stations of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty detected anything unusual.

However, Dufay believes some contamination is likely. "The missile itself is radioactive once the reactor is activated. If you get too close to it, you're exposed to radiation, which means... You won't be able to test it much," he explained, adding that "in nuclear deterrence, what matters is signalling, the credibility that comes from testing."