** NEW MERCH ** Jackets & Sweatshirts, Thermo Mugs!! Daniel Davis Deep Dive Merch: Etsy store https://www.etsy.com/shop/DanielDavisDeepDive?ref=seller-platform-mcnav 1. Context: Russia’s Announcement In late October, President Vladimir Putin showcased two nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed systems: Poseidon: a long-range, nuclear-powered underwater drone. Burevestnik: a nuclear-powered cruise missile with “unlimited range.” General Gerasimov stated that on October 21, Burevestnik flew for many hours, covering 14,000 km, and demonstrated the ability to hit any target at any distance while bypassing air/missile defenses. Many Western observers doubted the missile’s existence or functionality; some claimed the recent test wasn’t nuclear-powered because no radiation was detected. MIT Professor Ted Postol is brought in to analyze what is real and what is exaggerated. 2. Flight Data Confirms the Missile Is Real Postol emphasizes that the simple numbers in Putin’s announcement—15-hour flight, 14,000 km, Mach ~0.85–0.9 speed—provide enough information to infer: the thrust required, which indicates the reactor’s power output, and confirms nuclear propulsion (conventional fuel cannot sustain that duration or distance). Thus, the missile is practically unlimited in range. 3. Why Nuclear Propulsion Matters A nuclear-powered cruise missile differs fundamentally from a conventional one: Instead of burning chemical fuel, it uses a miniature nuclear reactor to heat incoming air and push it through the engine. This provides continuous propulsion for days or weeks, allowing: extreme range, unpredictable approach paths, continuous loitering over oceans, near borders, or even over enemy territory without detection. Postol says the missile could loiter above the U.S. and then dive to strike from any direction with little warning. 4. Historical Background: The Tech Isn’t New Both the U.S. and USSR tried nuclear-powered aircraft and missiles in the 1950s–60s. Examples included reactor-powered ramjets with outputs of 400–500 megawatts. The programs were abandoned because: Early ICBMs became reliable, heavy-lift vehicles capable of accurate global nuclear delivery. Old nuclear engines produced: dangerous radiation plumes, massive environmental contamination, electronics failures due to high radiation. Reactors were so large that shielding was impossible. However, Russia appears to have solved these issues by developing a far smaller reactor—hundreds of times less powerful—sufficient for subsonic cruise speeds. 5. Why Western Radiation Sensors Saw Nothing Some analysts claimed the test wasn’t nuclear-powered because no radiation trail was detected. Postol explains why this argument fails: A reactor emits intense gamma rays and neutrons but only detectable within a few kilometers with specialized gear. Air passing through the reactor becomes radioactive but decays quickly, so the plume doesn’t persist. The only longer-lasting radiation would come from dust particles sucked into the engine—but at high altitudes, dust is minimal. Therefore, it is expected that distant Western sensors saw no radiation. Conclusion: Lack of radiation detection does not indicate a non-nuclear engine. 6. How Russia Overcame Old Engineering Problems Earlier programs failed mainly due to: enormous reactor size, excessive radiation, electronics fried by neutron/gamma streams. Russia’s version works because: They reduced required reactor power by designing a subsonic missile rather than a hypersonic one. Smaller reactor = less radiation = easier to harden electronics. Airborne deployment prevents the dust ingestion problem that caused radioactive contamination during 1950s ground tests. Thus, the Burevestnik is technologically feasible and consistent with what is known. 7. Why the Burevestnik Is Essentially Unstoppable Postol strongly agrees with Putin’s claim that no existing missile defense can intercept it, for several reasons. a. Stealth Nose Design The missile’s nose is rounded, lacking hard edges, reducing radar reflections. Almost certainly coated with radar-absorbing materials (RAM). Radar cross-section likely below 0.1 m², possibly much smaller. This makes detection extremely difficult, especially from head-on angles. b. Extremely Low-Altitude Flight It flies very low, hugging terrain. This puts it inside ground clutter, making tracking nearly impossible. c. Unlimited Approach Angles U.S. air-defense radars (e.g., Patriot) have limited azimuth coverage (~120°). To cover all directions, three separate radars would be needed—prohibitively expensive. Few systems are deployed in the 360° manner required. d. Long Loiter Times The missile can circle or hover over oceans or remote regions for hours, days, or longer before receiving a command to strike.