Kathrine Frich
Global military engineers constantly push boundaries to find the ultimate tactical edge.
The relentless hunt for power sometimes produces weapons that cause pure chaos in reality. Right now, an experimental project is sparking massive alarm.
A radioactive exhaust
According to the Daily Mail, a team of experts has issued a warning about a Russian weapon known as the Burevestnik.
The device is a cruise missile powered by a tiny nuclear reactor. Western analysts often call it the Skyfall.
The engine gives the weapon an almost endless flying range, allowing it to approach targets from totally unpredictable angles. But that distance comes with a severe cost.
According to researchers, the engine forces outside air right through the hot nuclear core before blasting it out. MIT professor Jake Hecla explained the flaw. “The direct cycle is very likely to result in a large quantity of radioactive material in the exhaust,” Hecla said.
Danger on the ground
Because of that radical design, the missile would likely spew radioactive particles along its entire flight path, poisoning the sky. It puts anyone living near the remote test sites in terrible danger.
Missile expert Jeffrey Lewis from Middlebury College did not hold back in his assessment to the publication. “This thing is an environmental nightmare,” Lewis noted.
The weapon also creates massive risks for the crews trying to use it. “Just the question of how you safely load one of these things is, I think, really pretty challenging,” Lewis said.
The project has already seen deadly setbacks. A mysterious 2019 explosion off the Russian coast killed several nuclear scientists. Experts suspect that blast happened while crews were pulling a sunken prototype from the ocean floor.
Missing the mark
Even with all those risks, the Skyfall might not actually change global power dynamics.
In a surprising twist, Lewis told the Daily Mail that the missile appears to be practically useless. It is basically just a slow-moving target.
“It’s not a game-changing idea by any stretch of the imagination,” Lewis said. “We are able to routinely shoot down cruise missiles today, and there is no reason to think this will be particularly more difficult to do,” he explained.
The project is a terrifying experiment. “This is something that is possible, but wildly expensive and very dangerous,” Hecla added.
Sources: Daily Mail
