The much-hyped nuclear-powered cruise missile of Putin is not staying in the air for a longer time. The Russian president announced the weapon in March as a part of the latest nuclear arms, however, the unnamed missile has crashed nearly four times in the past four months. The cruise missile from Russia is using a nuclear chain reaction for power. The missile uses a gasoline-powered engine like a turbojet which is similar to the one powering the Kalibr cruise missile. The details about the weapon are not clear, however, the new cruise missile uses a turbojet to help it achieve the desired speed and altitude before the nuclear engine starts.
The usage of the nuclear engine gives the new missile an unlimited range and it can fly thousands of miles. The missile has so far flown no further than 22 miles during the 2 minutes flight. The reports state that the nuclear engine is apparently failing to start which is causing the crashes. Upon its revelation in March, the missile was being compared to the Pentagon’s Cold War era Supersonic Low Altitude Missile or SLAM. It is a low flying nuclear-powered cruise missile which was made to fly a very long distance to reach the Soviet Union and throw hydrogen bombs on them. SLAM was later on canceled since it was too difficult to test it. If a missile crash landed, it would have leaked a lot of radioactive debris and would have contaminated a wide area.
It is still not clear how much radioactive contamination has already been released due to Russia’s failed tests. A release of radioactivity in the vicinity of Russia has thought to be a result of the first test. In the testing, the missiles will carry just enough nuclear fuel to demonstrate that the nuclear engine works, however, this is not true. After four consecutive tests, it is clear that there is something really wrong with the structure. The last test was carried out in February. For the sake of rest of the world, it would be great if Moscow stopped the testing of their dangerous nuclear missile!