Burevestnik, Poseidon, Avangard, Oreshnik and Sarmat: the exotic Russian weapons, and the satellite imagery of their tests and of the accident at Nyonoksa.
I have a new column (“Putin’s Doomsday Machine”) up on Status-6/Kanyon — the Russian underwater drone that is apparently armed with a very dirty thermonuclear weapon. I wasn’t really able to do the science justice in the column, so I…
Russian president Validimir Putin presented his annual address yesterday. He showed off a bunch of new or recent nuclear weapons systems, designed to defeat US missile defenses. The weirdest idea of all is a nuclear power cruise missile with global…
From the moment that Russia unveiled its nuclear-powered cruise missile, I was referring people to my neighbor up in Santa Cruz, Gregg Herken. (West Coast, Best Coast!) Gregg is one our finest historians of the Cold War and he just…
Back in March, Putin said that Russia has been testing a nuclear-powered cruise missile and showed a little bit of video footage. Throughout April and May, stories have come out questioning the success of these tests. Jeffrey and his team…
Russia tested a hypersonic missile, or at least they claimed to. As of now, Putin and Russian media have told us a lot, but what do we really know about Avangard? Aaron and Jeffrey are joined by James Acton from…
Russia tested something and maybe kinda sorta told the truth about a subsequent spike in radiation. What happened? who knows? In this episode, the ACW trio discuss the explosion in Nenoksa and why it may have been a test to support…
Not long after the August 8 explosion at Nyonoksa in northern Russia–and the initial report of a spike in radioactivity in the nearby city of Severodvinsk–something else unexpected happened. Multiple radionuclide (RN) detectors inside Russia, part of the International Monitoring…
Russia Preparing to Resume Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile Tests Michael Duitsman and Jeffrey Lewis New satellite photographs taken by Planet Labs and analyzed by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies show that Russia is preparing to resume test flights of its…
Some of our analysis is the subject of a CNN story (“New satellite images show Russia may be preparing to test nuclear powered ‘Skyfall’ missile“) by Zach Cohen. The analysis used synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images provided by Capella Space…
Jeffrey and his team fear no cloud. Working with Capella Space to acquire cloud-piercing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, the MIIS team has been monitoring eternally-cloudy Novaya Zemlya, Russia, for evidence of Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile tests. Evidence pointed to the Burevestnik…
Friend of the Pod Decker Eveleth found the Burevestnik deployment site, it seems! Decker, of the CNA Corporation, has tracked down what appears to be the deployment site of the 9M730 Burevestnik, aka the SSC-X-9 Skyfall, using Planet Labs satellite…
Russia launched an experimental, offensive missile into Ukraine, aimed at the PA Pivdenmash (former Yuzhmash) factory. This is a new world of missile combat, as this looks to be the first use of an IRBM (though not at IRBM ranges)…
Russia tested the RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBM, which will replace the SS-18/RS-36M Satan. What’s it for? Aaron and Jeffrey talk about the role of heavy ICBMs, the foundational assumption for counterforce, the rise of orbital bombardment systems (FOBS!!!!!!!!), the…
