While the Russian Armed Forces report significant progress in testing the new nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile, local experts have begun to suggest that its modular design would be compatible with the already existing Iskander and Oreshnik ballistic missile launchers, which would facilitate the process of integrating and deploying the weapon in the future. The issue was raised by analyst Alexander Stepanov, a military specialist at the Institute of Law and National Security of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, whose statements were quickly picked up by local media outlets.
Quoting some of his remarks: “Russian launchers are extremely versatile, allowing them to be quickly adapted to deploy practically any modern standard weapon. For example, the launchers designed for the Iskander missile can be rapidly upgraded to fire alternative high-precision missiles, including the Burevestnik. Similarly, the Oreshnik platform, which functions as a universal modular launcher, can be used in the same way.”
Furthermore, in later excerpts the analyst also indicated that the weapon in question could be used from container-based launchers on warships, which would expand its operational range. According to his argument, this aligns with the Soviet-era approach of developing precision weapons with great flexibility in terms of launch platforms, as well as to allow for future modernization work.
It should be recalled that the Burevestnik missile is emerging as one of the longest-range missiles available to the Russian Armed Forces, as could be seen in the most recent tests reported yesterday. In particular, it was the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, who presented to President Vladimir Putin the impressive data obtained from the missile launch, namely: more than 14,000 kilometers covered in 15 hours of flight — something the general himself emphasized could still be extended.
In summary, the weapon is capable of performing vertical and horizontal maneuvers that allow it to evade and penetrate the missile defense systems of potential enemies, a feature that has raised alarms in the United States. President Donald Trump himself, while preparing for a trip to Japan, stated that such announcements “are not appropriate” given the tense moment caused by the stalemate in peace negotiations over the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the sanctions imposed by Washington as a result. From the European Union, there are also concerns on the matter, at a time when new sanction packages against Russia and funding mechanisms for Ukraine are being discussed.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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