ZAP // New Horizon TV; PeakPx
Russian nuclear-capable and propelled missile Burevestnik/Skyfall
Designed to fly for unusually long periods thanks to a small nuclear reactor, Skyfall promises to bypass anti-missile defenses, but could turn each flight into a potential radiological hazard.
The mysterious Russian cruise missile Burevestnikknown by NATO as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, returned to the spotlight after a recent investigation suggested the weapon could leave a trail of radioactive material during the flight.
The missile is one of the most controversial weapons revealed by the Russian President, Vladimir Putinwho presented it for the first time, in 2018, as a “.
Unlike conventional cruise missiles, which are limited by the amount of fuel they can carry, Skyfall was designed around a miniature nuclear reactor which, in theory, could allow you to fly thousands of kilometers and approaching targets from unexpected directions.
One recently published by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reignited the debate over the design of the weaponits environmental impact and its strategic value.
Cold War idea brought back
According to the analysis of MIT researchers, the most likely explanation for the extraordinary reach of Skyfall is the use of a nuclear propulsion system direct cycle, a concept remarkably similar to that of the now abandoned Cold War-era US program.
In a conventional jet engine, fuel is burned to heat the air entering the engine. The hot, expanding gases then exit through the rear, generating thrust.
Skyfall, MIT researchers say, appears replace that camera of combustion for a nuclear reactor compact.
Instead of burning fuel, the incoming air passes through or around the reactor, is quickly heated to extremely high temperatures and expelled through the exhaust outlet. The process generates thrust while consuming only a minimal amount of nuclear fuel.
The result is a missile that not limited by fuel tanks traditional and that could potentially remain in the air for very long periods, explains .
Because experts believe it can release radiation
The same design that allows Skyfall to achieve enormous reach is also what worries scientists. According to the MIT analysis, the missile almost certainly depends on a “open cycle” propulsion architectureor direct cycle.
In such a system, external air comes into direct contact with components exposed to the intense radiation environment of the reactor before being expelled as escape. The researchers argue that this would likely release particles and radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere throughout the flight.
This is one of the reasons why the U.S. abandoned Project Pluto during the Cold War, despite having successfully tested nuclear-powered stator reactor technology.
Critics have long maintained that a nuclear-powered cruise missile effectively transforms each flight in a potential radiological incidenteven if the weapon never performs a nuclear attack.
This concern has led some arms control experts to describe the concept as a “flying Chernobyl”although its defenders argue that the strategic advantages outweigh the risks.
Why does Russia want a weapon of this type?
The main attraction of Skyfall is the range. Traditional cruise missiles can travel hundreds or, in some cases, a few thousand kilometers.
A nuclear-powered missile could, in theory, fly much furtherfollow indirect routes around radar networks, and approach targets from unexpected directions.
Russia has repeatedly stated that the missile has a range practically unlimited and can bypass existing missile defense systems. In October 2025, Russian officials said that Skyfall had completed a flight of about 14,000 kilometers over the course of approximately 15 hours.
The missile was featured alongside other strategic systems, including the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo and several hypersonic weapons, all designed to ensure that Russia can achieve penetrate future missile defense networks.
Russian Defense Ministry
Test of new Burevestnik nuclear-capable and propelled missile
Still many questions
Despite years of development, many details about Skyfall remain unclear.
Independent analysts continue to debate exactly how the propulsion system works, how reliable is the missile and whether it can achieve the performance announced by Russian officials.
The program will also have suffered vmultiple setbacks in testingincluding an accident in 2019 linked to nuclear technology, in which several Russian experts died.
What seems increasingly likely, however, is that Skyfall represents the world’s most serious attempt to put a nuclear-powered cruise missile into operation, a concept that engineers have begun to explore. more than half a century ago — and which many considered definitively abandoned.
If MIT’s recent analysis is correct, the missile’s biggest innovation could also be its biggest controversy: a propulsion system with unprecedented range, but potentially at the expense of the dispersion of radioactive material through the skies it crosses.
