Putin reveals details about Burevestnik missile’s nuclear engine

The ultra-miniaturized reactor can achieve full operation in a matter of minutes, the president has said

Russia’s unlimited-range Burevestik cruise missile is based on breakthroughs in nuclear reactor technology that allow a high degree of miniaturization and quick attainment of operational power, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. A landmark test of the nuclear-capable weapon was announced last week.

The president praised the engineers behind the achievement during a meeting with injured Russian soldiers at a military hospital.

The missile’s reactor “is comparable in output with a reactor of a nuclear-propelled submarine, but it’s 1,000 times smaller,” Putin said. “But the key thing is that where a regular reactor needs hours, days or weeks to go online, this one launches in minutes or seconds.”

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