The US is not developing an analogue to the Russian Burevestnik cruise missile and should start its own nuclear propulsion program, writes columnist Ajay Kothari in the Washington Examiner. According to him, Moscow is preparing a new test of the weapon, which, due to its nuclear engine, could stay in the air much longer than a conventional cruise missile.
“Russia is preparing to test a nuclear-powered cruise missile that can fly for practically an unlimited time, and the United States is not building anything like it“, the publication says. Kothari argues that rather than trying to achieve the same leap in energy density, some American analysts simply dismiss the significance of the development.
What is being claimed about the Russian weapon
“Burevestnik“ is a nuclear-powered cruise missile that Russia claims has a virtually unlimited range. Vladimir Putin announced in 2025 that it had successfully tested it. The Center for Strategic and International Studies said Moscow reported a flight duration of about 15 hours and a range of more than 14,000 kilometers. Norwegian authorities confirmed that the launch was carried out from the Novaya Zemlya region.
The Washington Examiner cited other figures for the same test - nearly 8,700 miles, or roughly 14,000 kilometers, and about 15 hours in the air. The data is presented as reported results, not as an independently published technical analysis.
The United States had a similar idea during the Cold War
Washington is not starting from scratch when it comes to nuclear propulsion for aircraft. In the 1950s and 1960s, the United States developed Project Pluto, a nuclear ramjet engine for a low-altitude hypersonic missile.
The U.S. Department of Energy says that in 1964, the Defense Department abandoned the idea of conducting a flight test. The project was canceled due to technical difficulties and the development of more traditional rocket engines.
Kothari believes that today's strategic environment requires a return to such research. He insists that the US create its own nuclear propulsion program, which, in his opinion, would be important both for deterrence and for maintaining technological parity with Russia.
There has been no public confirmation from the US government that a program for a direct analogue of the “Burevestnik“ has been launched. Thus, the columnist's proposal remains a political and strategic recommendation, and not an announced decision by Washington.
Sources: Washington Examiner