Foreign media report on the possible testing of the cruise missile “Petrel”. АиФ.ги I was finding out what is known about this weapon.
Tests of a cruise missile with a nuclear engine “Petrel”. Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Development and testing
For the first time, the appearance of this missile weapon was reported by The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in a message to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018, video footage of a missile system test was shown at that time.
There is no official information about the other tests. Mostly foreign media spoke about them, while Russian experts only commented on their opinion. Mostly abroad they talked about unsuccessful tests, in Russia they refuted this.
But according to officially unconfirmed data, in January 2019, successful tests of a nuclear power plant were carried out.
The decision to start developing the Petrel was made a long time ago, in December 2001, after the US withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Missile Defense Systems Limitation Treaty.
According to experts, the Burevestnik cruise missile will be put into service no earlier than 2027, and its combat potential is not taken into account in the Russian-American Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START-3), extended until February 5, 2026.
What does a nuclear engine do?
A rocket with a nuclear engine is capable of traveling tens of thousands of kilometers without leaving a trace, many times circumnavigating the planet in the dense layers of the atmosphere.
To successfully defeat the target after a long flight along a complex trajectory at an ultra-long range, the Petrel needs a combined control and homing system based on satellite and inertial navigation, as well as flight correction along the terrain.
A nuclear-powered cruise missile is capable of entering a target along any trajectory without restrictions (on a global scale) and remaining in the air for several days or months.
Combat characteristics
It is known from open sources that the “Petrel” is a ground-based cruise missile, has a glider with a characteristic shape fuselage and ramjet engine nozzles on the sides, a high-positioned wing. The Petrel is similar to the X-101 product, only noticeably larger than all the air-and sea-based winged analogues (about 10 meters in length).
Invisible to radar, the Petrel can be detected only from a satellite and only at the moment of launch. It is almost impossible to track and intercept a cruise missile in flight at altitudes of 50-100 meters. The unlimited range and ultra-low altitudes of the “Petrel” make all existing and promising air defense systems of developed countries “transparent” and useless.
What do people think abroad?
In the United States, as confirmation of Russia’s preparation for missile tests, they reported the presence of satellite images that show signs of preparation for testing a nuclear cruise missile.
According to the American television channel, satellite images taken by the apparatus of the American aerospace company Capella Space in the area of the Pankovo test site on Novaya Zemlya indicate the preparation of the tests. According to experts from the Center for Nonproliferation Research at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, there are “clear signs of preparation for the test of a nuclear cruise missile”.
Six months ago, the United States stated that an unlimited-range cruise missile with a nuclear power plant “Burevestnik” would allow Russia to strike from almost any direction if the refinement was successfully completed. In addition, it was called “flying Chernobyl”.
Earlier, Russian experts even had to refute the fears of the British military that it could be in the air for years.