Its range of 20 thousand kilometers .. Russia is preparing to test its winged nuclear -powered missile “Borifesty”
Arab Defense website – August 13, 2025: The Russian “Burevestnik”, a renewed media attention, raises a renewed media attention, amid speculation of new experiences. Several media reports have indicated that Russia may recently implement new tests for the missile, while a Chinese military expert said, on Tuesday, August 12, that this unique weapon, the first of its kind in the world, may be in a stage of experiments aimed at addressing previous technical challenges, at a time when it constitutes a deterrent tool within the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, pointing out that the timing of this coincides with the scheduled talks soon in Alaska.
On August 7, the Norwegian website “Parnets Observer” reported that the “Borifestny” test may be imminent, as the Russian aviation authorities issued a notification of air navigation (Notam) entered into force on the same day and continues until Tuesday. The site pointed out that the preparations have been ongoing for weeks on the launch site “Bangkovo” on the island of Novaya Zimlia in the Russian Arctic, noting that during the past days, he continued the movements of ship and satellite pictures from the region, as well as data tracking and ship movement via the Internet.
For its part, the American “Newsweek” magazine stated that an American WC-135R reconnaissance plane, which is intended for monitoring nuclear tests in the atmosphere, was circled last week near the Russian nuclear bases in the northwest of the country. The magazine added, quoting analysts who followed the path of the plane, that this move may indicate that a 9m730 Burevestnik (9M730 Burevestnik) test is in Novaya Zimolia, an archipelago with a long history of nuclear tests.
Borifesty specifications
“Borifestynic”, which means “stormy bias”, is a mobile missile fired from the ground and flying at a low altitude, capable of carrying a nuclear head, in addition to that it works with nuclear energy. Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed the project for the first time in March 2018, according to Reuters, which indicated in a report in October 2023 that Putin announced then his country’s success in testing the missile.
The missile nuclear payment system gives much longer than the traditional Turbovovan engines that restrict the fuel, as “Reuters” quoted a Russian military magazine specialized in 2021 that “Borifestynic” has a theoretical range of up to 20 thousand kilometers, allowing it to be stationed at any point inside Russia and hitting targets inside the United States. The magazine also indicated that the missile is shaved at a height of only 50 and 100 meters, which is much lower than traditional mobile missiles, which makes it difficult for air defense radars to monitor it.
Chinese military expert Song Chung Bing told a newspaper.Global TimesTuesday, “Borifestynic” is a unique weapon that Russia is developing, as it uses nuclear energy instead of chemical fuel, which gives it an unlimited extent.
However, the Reuters report also indicated that the development of the missile’s nuclear payment unit represents a huge technical challenge, which witnessed several experimental failures. In 2019, at least five Russian nuclear experts were killed in an explosion and radiological leakage during an experiment in the White Sea, and American intelligence sources suggested that the experiment was part of a test for “Borifestynic”.
Song believes that the development of the nuclear payment system remains a major technical challenge, and new tests may aim to overcome these obstacles, but the actual combat performance of the missile – including its reliability and the associated radioactive risks – still needs to be verified.
On Monday, the Indian newspaper “Urazian Times” reported that speculation about nearby missile tests emerged days before expected talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska on the Ukraine file. It is not excluded – according to experts – that Russia “Borifestny” will take advantage of a deterrent tool against the United States and European countries in this file, in an attempt to show that its military arsenal still includes advanced systems that have not been used in the fighting yet, which may enhance its negotiating position, according to Song.
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