Two US researchers said they had identified the possible location of Russia’s newest nuclear-capable intercontinental cruise missile, the 9M370 Burevestnik, which is touted by President Putin as “invincible”, reports Reuters, which first reported the development.
The Russian president has said the missile (NATO-classified SSC-X-9 Skyfall) has a virtually unlimited range and can evade US missile defenses.
However, some Western experts have expressed doubts about its strategic value.
Using images taken on July 26 by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company, the two researchers pinpointed a construction project adjacent to a nuclear warhead storage facility known by two names – Vologda-20 and Chebsara – as the likely site of the new rocket. The facility is located 475 km north of Moscow.
Nine launch sites under construction
One expert, Decker Eveleth of research firm CNA, estimates the images show nine launch sites under construction.
The Russian Defense Ministry and the embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions to the Defense Ministry.
The detection of a possible launch site suggests Russia is continuing to develop the missile after a series of tests in recent years, a second researcher, Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, told Reuters.
Source: RES-MPE
#Reuters #Launch #site #Russias #nuclearpowered #missile
