Russian nuclear-powered super missile may be missing at sea

"The Russian military will attempt to recover the cruise missile that was test-fired in November 2017 and crashed into the Barents Sea, north of Russia and Norway. Three salvage ships are expected to be deployed, one of which has equipment to handle radioactive material in the missile's engine. There is no timetable for the operation yet,"CNBCciting anonymous sources in the US intelligence community said on August 21.

According to US intelligence, this nuclear-powered cruise missile was one of four failed test launches conducted by Russia from November 2017 to February 2018.

The November 2017 test failure was likely due to the failure of the nuclear-powered main engine to ignite, causing the missile to fall into the sea shortly after using up its primary liquid fuel. US intelligence said the missile’s longest flight during the test was 35 kilometers (22 miles) and its flight time was two minutes.

The US intelligence report does not mention any risk to human health or the environment from radioactive material leaking from the Russian nuclear-powered missile. If Russia recovers the missile intact, the operation will become the basis for future missile recovery plans.

The nuclear-powered cruise missile is one of six super weapons announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his state-of-the-nation address on March 1. It is said to have an unlimited attack range thanks to its nuclear engine and is capable of penetrating all current missile defense systems thanks to its maneuverability during flight.

Of the weapons unveiled by Moscow in March, Washington believes at least two will be fully combat-ready by 2020.