PETE COMMENT
Flollowing on from the August 14, 2019 article on Russia's failed liquid rocket fuel and nuclear powered cruise missile booster+engine test at Nyonoksa. The missile's Russian designations include
Burevestnik 9M730 and "Petrel". NATO reporting names are SSC-X-9 and Skyfall. I'll call it simply "Skyfall".
Russia has always culturally been secretive, especially about its latest weapon systems. As an authoritarian country (Tsar-Communist-Putin) Russia does not need to inform its citizen-taxpayers much about its latest expensive missile or submarine disasters. Disaster details are only drip fed once details have been discovered by the Western press/internet, which ordinary Russians now have access to.
Most Russian research on Skyfall is taking place at Sarov a closed city of around 100,000 "inmates" east of Moscow, but still in European Russia. Closed since 1946 as Sarov is a center of nuclear weapon and propulsion research as well as missile research (a cross between US Los Alamos, JPL and Huntsville).
With that in mind the article below looks too good to be true concerning its details of Russia's Skyfall technology and strategy. So I'm treating the article below as mainly (Russian derived word) "disinformation". This includes the article implying the Skyfall program is more advanced than is actually the case. Given the US' 7 years to cancellation Project Pluto it is highly unlikely Russia could field a Skyfall prototype in under 10 years.
Also the article's description of Skyfall as "subsonic" flies in the face of its rumoured hypersonic ramjet nature. Skyfall requires hypersonic speed to keep it aloft on its nuclear engine stage and make Skyfall a a viable short time to target, global strike weapon.
I have therefore bolded and redded suspicious parts, with some [..] brackets for extra comments.
ARTICLE
/Kjell has kindly located from Russian website New Defence Order Strategy the following Russian language article, of August 15, 2019 at https://dfnc.ru/katalog-vooruzhenij/nazemnye-raketnye-kompleksy/9m730-burevestnik/ . Pete has now translated it into English:
"Nuclear-powered strategic cruise missile
[Skyfall] was supposedly being created by the Novator Design Bureau (Yekaterinburg [Russia's 4th largest city, which is east of the Urals]) [see NPO Novator] together with one of the [Russian Atomic] Rosatom research centers. The creation of a rocket with an air-jet [turbofan? ramjet? or what?] engine with a nuclear power plant became possible as a result of successful work to create a new generation small-sized nuclear reactor.
![Work with the Burevestnik cruise missile in the assembly and test building of the training ground (http://mil.ru)]()
Work on Skyfall in a training ground assembly and test building (http://mil.ru) [a pointy nose for a merely
---
![One of the first test launches of the prototype of the Petrel rocket (http://mil.ru)]()
![Preparation of samples of Burevestnik missiles for testing in the assembly and testing building of the test site (http://mil.ru)]()
Preparation of Skyfall components for testing in the assembly and testing building of the test site (http://mil.ru)
---
Flollowing on from the August 14, 2019 article on Russia's failed liquid rocket fuel and nuclear powered cruise missile booster+engine test at Nyonoksa. The missile's Russian designations include
Burevestnik 9M730 and "Petrel". NATO reporting names are SSC-X-9 and Skyfall. I'll call it simply "Skyfall".
Russia has always culturally been secretive, especially about its latest weapon systems. As an authoritarian country (Tsar-Communist-Putin) Russia does not need to inform its citizen-taxpayers much about its latest expensive missile or submarine disasters. Disaster details are only drip fed once details have been discovered by the Western press/internet, which ordinary Russians now have access to.
Most Russian research on Skyfall is taking place at Sarov a closed city of around 100,000 "inmates" east of Moscow, but still in European Russia. Closed since 1946 as Sarov is a center of nuclear weapon and propulsion research as well as missile research (a cross between US Los Alamos, JPL and Huntsville).
With that in mind the article below looks too good to be true concerning its details of Russia's Skyfall technology and strategy. So I'm treating the article below as mainly (Russian derived word) "disinformation". This includes the article implying the Skyfall program is more advanced than is actually the case. Given the US' 7 years to cancellation Project Pluto it is highly unlikely Russia could field a Skyfall prototype in under 10 years.
Also the article's description of Skyfall as "subsonic" flies in the face of its rumoured hypersonic ramjet nature. Skyfall requires hypersonic speed to keep it aloft on its nuclear engine stage and make Skyfall a a viable short time to target, global strike weapon.
I have therefore bolded and redded suspicious parts, with some [..] brackets for extra comments.
ARTICLE
/Kjell has kindly located from Russian website New Defence Order Strategy the following Russian language article, of August 15, 2019 at https://dfnc.ru/katalog-vooruzhenij/nazemnye-raketnye-kompleksy/9m730-burevestnik/ . Pete has now translated it into English:
"Nuclear-powered strategic cruise missile
[Skyfall] was supposedly being created by the Novator Design Bureau (Yekaterinburg [Russia's 4th largest city, which is east of the Urals]) [see NPO Novator] together with one of the [Russian Atomic] Rosatom research centers. The creation of a rocket with an air-jet [turbofan? ramjet? or what?] engine with a nuclear power plant became possible as a result of successful work to create a new generation small-sized nuclear reactor.
“At the end of 2017, a successful launch of a rocket with a nuclear power plant took place at the Central [Novaya Zemlya?] training ground of the Russian Federation. During the flight, the power plant reached its predetermined power and provided the necessary level of thrust. The flight tests, coupled with ground tests, allow us to move on to creating a strategic nuclear weapon complex with nuclear power plant "(from a speech by V.V. Putin before the Federal Assembly, 03/01/2018).
[Skyfall?] Missile tests have been conducted at least since 2017. As of mid-2019, according to Western data[where?] at least 13 missile launches have been completed. During launches at the Novaya Zemlya training ground, launches were monitored by IL-976 SKIP [Il-76/A-50 based Range Control and Missile tracking platform] Rosatom aircraft.
Work on Skyfall in a training ground assembly and test building (http://mil.ru) [a pointy nose for a merely
---
The NATO name for the Petrel missile system is SSC-X-9 SKYFALL.
Skyfall in the Russian Armed Forces
If the missile test program is successfully completed, and if there is a political decision to deploy the missile, Skyfall missiles can become an important part of Russia's nuclear deterrence forces. Launch sites for Skyfall can be built in any - even the most remote - region of Russia.
The composition of Skyfall
Probably, if Skyfall enter service, they will include the following components:
- transporter erector launchers (TELs) or stationary missile launchers
- a flight information training center
- long-range radio communications for adjusting flight and target designation
- reconnaissance and target designation systems
- facilities for Skyfall maintenance and preparation and nuclear power plants
- [Skyfall Warhead?] Arsenal equipment and vehicles
During the tests, presumably wheeled 9P113 transporter erector launchers (TELs) were used (with 9P113s aleady being used for short range 9K52 Luna-M artillery rockets). With the Skyfalls being fired from launch containers previously used for P-35B GRAU 4K44B GLCMs.
Skyfall design
Skyfall's design is similar to the designs of most modern land and sea-based cruise missiles, but differs from them in size and layout. Presumably the rocket has the following layout:
- the central body of the fuselage
- a propulsion system with side air intakes and side nozzles
- folding swept wings and plumage.
- the central body of the fuselage
- a propulsion system with side air intakes and side nozzles
- folding swept wings and plumage.
The rocket uses a solid fuel launch booster. [not liquid?]
The main engine of the rocket is supposedly a nuclear air-jet engine (NAR) in which atmospheric air heated by a nuclear power plant acts as a working medium. On the tested rocket prototypes, a valid non-nuclear prototype of this engine was probably installed.
TTX missiles Skyfall
Length - not less than 12 m;
Case diameter - not less than 1 m;
Case width - about 1.5 m;
Plumage height - 3.6-3.8 m;
Maximum speed - subsonic or transonic[ie. Mach 0.7 to Mach 1]
Range of action - unlimited
One of the first test launches of the Skyfall (http://mil.ru)
---
---
Combat equipment
Presumably, the missile will be equipped with a megaton class
thermonuclear warhead
Preparation of Skyfall components for testing in the assembly and testing building of the test site (http://mil.ru)
---
Control and guidance system
Skyfall's control system is autonomous inertial - with the flight reajusting using
navigation system adjustment and ground HQ commands. Perhaps Skyfall's flightpath can be updated and re-aimed midflight. Modifications:
The Skyfall prototype is the first experimental prototype "of the rocket demonstrator."
Skyfall "- is an experimental series of cruise missiles for testing."Ends
[no mention of the "13" alleged "completed" flights here.]
------------------------------
Article identified by /Kjell and translated from Russian by Pete
[no mention of the "13" alleged "completed" flights here.]
------------------------------
Article identified by /Kjell and translated from Russian by Pete