Putin just announced 'unstoppable' nuclear missile

In his state-of-the-nation address on March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his country has developed a nuclear-powered cruise missile with unlimited attack range and can avoid all missile defense systems.,according toWashington Post.

Experts say Russia has the ability to manufacture cruise missiles using nuclear engines. The biggest advantage of this engine is its extremely large, almost unlimited range, meeting many of Moscow's geopolitical goals.

Nuclear-powered missiles are not a new technology. The US developed a similar system codenamed "Project Pluto" during the Cold War, creating the Low-Altitude Hypersonic Missile (SLAM).

This type of missile uses the principle of a ramjet engine, in which the missile will suck in air while flying, heat it up with a small nuclear reactor inside and use this hot air to create thrust for the missile.

Writer Gerry Doyle argues that ramjet engines greatly increase the missile's range, but they leave behind a lot of radioactive traces in the atmosphere due to their use.nuclear reactor. The US once considered this an advantage, when the SLAM missile could both carry a nuclear warhead and act as a supersonic dirty bomb.

Coincidentally, several Nordic countries detected traces of radioactive dust in the air last year, when Russia was believed to be conducting tests of hypersonic missiles using ramjet engines.

Ramjet engines cannot operate at speeds below 600 km/h, requiring the missile to have a solid-fuel booster. During testing, the missile typically uses a rocket engine to reach a cruise speed of over 1,200 km/h, then activates the ramjet system and jettison the booster to reduce mass.

The Pentagon has confirmed it is aware of Russia’s new nuclear cruise missile, but said the project is still in development and that one missile has crashed in the Arctic. Putin’s unveiling of the weapon appears to be a warning to the West, suggesting that Russia’s preemptive strike capabilities are not affected by missile shield systems.

The Russian president also released a video illustrating how the missile works, combining images of actual tests and simulation graphics. In it, the missile is launched from western Russia, flies across the Atlantic Ocean and around South America, before hitting a hypothetical island between the west coast of the United States and the Hawaiian Islands.

During flight, the missile continuously changes its course, in order to avoid early warning systems and air defenses at sea. This is considered an important feature, especially when the missile has a virtually unlimited range. It can fly around any defense complex and hit the target from the most unexpected directions.

"Moscow's strategic weapons programs are all aimed at penetrating Washington's missile shield. They appear to have been in development for a long time," said Jeffrey Lewis, an expert atMiddlebury Institute of International Studies in the US confirmed.In 2001, former US President George W. Bush announced the withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed with the Soviet Union. Mr. Putin at the time called Washington's decision a "wrong move."

ReportThe Nuclear Posture Assessment (NPR) announced by US President Donald Trump last month was seen as an excellent excuse for Russia to unveil new strategic weapons in response to the US. Experts see this as a risk of opening a new period of arms race between Moscow and Washington.