Putin's nuclear-powered Skyfall missile 'spews radiation as it flies' and is a 'fairly useless, environmental nightmare'

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 11:07, 19 June 2026 | Updated: 11:16, 19 June 2026 Putin's nuclear-powered Skyfall missile is a fairly 'useless' weapon but an 'environmental nightmare' that could spew radioactive material as it flies, experts have warned. Their modelling found the missile's reactor design is likely to release large amounts of radioactive material in its exhaust, potentially putting anyone living or working near test sites at 'enormous risk'. If the findings are correct, an October test flight would mark the first time a nuclear-powered aircraft has flown using a reactor that releases radioactive material into the atmosphere. 'This is something that is possible, but wildly expensive and very dangerous,' said Jake Hecla, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The missile, known as Burevestnik in Russia, is designed to have almost unlimited range by using a small nuclear reactor instead of conventional fuel. This means it could fly for much longer than existing cruise missiles and approach targets from unexpected directions. 'The direct cycle is very likely to result in a large quantity of radioactive material in the exhaust,' Hecla added.  Jeffrey Lewis, a missile expert at Middlebury College who was not involved in the study, said: 'This thing is an environmental nightmare.'  Putin's nuclear-powered Skyfall missile is a fairly 'useless' weapon but an 'environmental nightmare' that could spew radioactive material as it flies, experts have warned. Pictured: The Burevestnik missile at the factory Their modelling found the missile's reactor design is likely to release large amounts of radioactive material in its exhaust, potentially putting anyone living or working near test sites at 'enormous risk' If the findings are correct, an October test flight would mark the first time a nuclear-powered aircraft has flown using a reactor that releases radioactive material into the atmosphere Lewis also questioned the missile's military value, arguing that despite its extreme range, it would not be significantly more difficult to shoot down than existing cruise missiles and saying it appeared 'kind of useless'. 'It's not a game-changing idea by any stretch of the imagination,' he said. 'We are able to routinely shoot down cruise missiles today, and there is no reason to think this will be particularly more difficult to do.'  Experts said the design appears to force atmospheric air directly through the reactor before expelling it as exhaust, meaning radioactive particles could be released into the atmosphere during flight. Hecla's calculations found the system would likely produce radioactive isotopes of argon, krypton and carbon, with the risk increasing if the reactor's core begins to erode during long flights. Researchers also warned that the missile's nuclear reactor could pose a significant danger to the military personnel required to transport, maintain and prepare it for launch. 'Just the question of how you safely load one of these things is, I think, really pretty challenging,' Lewis said.  The concerns come years after a mysterious 2019 explosion off Russia's northern coast killed several nuclear specialists and caused a spike in local radiation levels. It is now widely believed the accident occurred during an attempt to recover a prototype Burevestnik reactor from the seabed, with Hecla suggesting the reactor may have restarted during the recovery operation and triggered the blast. Despite the criticism, researchers said the missile appears to prove that nuclear-powered flight is technically possible, opening what they warned could be a dangerous new chapter in the modern arms race. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.