Russia's Nuclear-powered 'Skyfall' Missile Poses Environmental Risks

WHO:

NPR - Researchers Jake Hecla and R. Scott Kemp from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) conducted an analysis of the missile.

NPR - Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at Middlebury College, commented on the environmental risks of the missile.

WHAT:

NPR - The missile is believed to be larger than even the largest Russian cruise missiles, but not enormous.

NPR - Aerodynamic modeling indicates that the missile would need to travel around Mach .75 or about 575 miles per hour to stay airborne.

NPR - The reactor design is expected to produce large quantities of radioactive isotopes of argon, krypton, and carbon during flight.

NPR - The missile, known in Russian as Burevestnik and by NATO as Skyfall, is powered by a small nuclear reactor.

NPR - The missile's flight test marks the first time a nuclear-powered aircraft has ever flown, according to the analysis.

NPR - The missile is believed to produce large quantities of radioactive isotopes of argon, krypton, and carbon during flight.

NPR - An accident in 2019 off the Russian coast resulted in the deaths of several Russian nuclear personnel and a spike in radioactivity, believed to be linked to a prototype Burevestnik reactor.

WHERE:

NPR - The missile was launched from a Russian island high above the Arctic Circle.

NPR - The 2019 accident occurred off the Russian coast.

WHEN:

NPR - The missile's flight test occurred on October 21 of the previous year.

WHY:

NPR - The development of the Burevestnik missile may be influenced by internal dynamics within Russia's nuclear industry or as a stepping stone to future nuclear-powered systems.

HOW:

NPR - The missile is likely powered by a direct-cycle air-breathing nuclear propulsion system, most likely driving a turbojet.

NPR - The missile is believed to use a direct-cycle air-breathing nuclear propulsion system, likely driving a turbojet.

NPR - The reactor design allows air from the atmosphere to pass directly through the nuclear fuel, which heats and expands the air for propulsion.

(UPDATED June 18, 2026 23:37 UTC)

A new missile has been developed that is believed to be larger than even the largest Russian cruise missiles, though it is not classified as enormous. Aerodynamic modeling suggests that this missile would need to travel at approximately Mach .75, or around 575 miles per hour, to maintain flight. Additionally, the reactor design is expected to generate significant amounts of radioactive isotopes of argon, krypton, and carbon during its operation, and it is likely powered by a direct-cycle air-breathing nuclear propulsion system, probably utilizing a turbojet.

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(UPDATED June 18, 2026 19:54 UTC)

Researchers from MIT, Jake Hecla and R. Scott Kemp, have conducted an analysis of a missile known in Russian as Burevestnik and by NATO as Skyfall, which is powered by a small nuclear reactor. This missile's flight test, which took place on October 21 of the previous year, marks the first time a nuclear-powered aircraft has ever flown, although it is believed to produce large quantities of radioactive isotopes during its flight. Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at Middlebury College, has raised concerns about the environmental risks associated with the missile, especially in light of a 2019 accident off the Russian coast that resulted in fatalities and increased radioactivity linked to a prototype of the Burevestnik reactor.