Missile 9M730 Burevestnik (SSC-X-9 Skyfall)

Development of the 9M730 Burevestnik began in December 2001 following the United States' withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, reviving a Soviet-era missile concept. The system was publicly unveiled in 2018 as a low-flying, nuclear-powered strategic cruise missile intended to bypass interceptor-based missile defense systems. Flight testing has taken place at facilities including the Pan'kovo range on Yuzhny Island, the Nyonoksa State Central Navy Testing Range, and Kapustin Yar.

The missile is designed to carry a nuclear warhead. Initial propulsion is provided by a detachable rocket booster, after which a miniature nuclear power unit engages. The engine configuration uses a direct-cycle air-breathing design where atmospheric air passes directly through the reactor core to generate thrust. This operation results in the continuous emission of radioactive exhaust isotopes, including argon, krypton, and carbon. The missile flies at low altitudes and subsonic speeds, utilizing vertical and horizontal maneuvering to evade air defenses. While the nuclear power plant theoretically provides extended loiter capability and unlimited endurance, operational flight duration remains constrained by the thermal and mechanical degradation of non-nuclear components.

The system is planned for operation by the Russian Armed Forces, with infrastructure identified at Vologda-20 as a deployment location. The missile has no record of combat use. During testing in November 2017, a missile failed and crashed into the Barents Sea shortly after launch. On 9 August 2019, an explosion occurred at the Nyonoksa testing range during operations to recover a submerged missile from a prior failed test, killing five scientists and causing a release of radioactivity. Additional flight tests occurred in October 2023 and October 2025, with the 2025 test flight over Novaya Zemlya confirmed by Norwegian military intelligence.