[Popular Science of Chinese Military Technology] As the "King of Rolls" among cruise missiles, what are the outstanding features of the Haiyan nuclear-powered cruise missile?

Recently, according to Russian media reports, the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces have completed the test of the nuclear power plant of the "Haiyan" nuclear-powered cruise missile and plan to carry out related test launches. Since the launch of "Haiyan" in 2018, its "unlimited range" feature has been like a "sword of Damocles" for other countries. The reappearance of "Haiyan" has once again caused a wave of hot topics. So, as the "prophet of the storm" in Russian culture, why was "Haiyan" born? Compared with conventional intercontinental missiles, what are its advantages? Faced with the "sausage-cutting" temptations of the United States and Western countries, what role will it play as a "flying Chernobyl"?

Twenty-four drinks ice, "Haiyan" unsheaths its wings and is ready to fly

Since World War II, people have begun to realize the huge potential of nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, military powers led by the United States and the Soviet Union began to develop nuclear power systems, and the ability to have an aviation engine with unlimited range has become one of the important directions of technological competition.

Alien SLAM missiles of the Pluto Project (Image source: NetEase)

In 1957, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission took the lead in launching the "Pluto" project, which aimed to develop an alien "SLAM" missile that uses a nuclear ramjet engine for propulsion. It is reported that the missile's range far exceeds the U.S.'s current "Minuteman"-3 intercontinental missile, reaching a huge range of 113,000 miles. At the same time, the former Soviet Union's research on nuclear-powered missiles followed closely and launched the "375" project, but due to the death of Lavochkin, the project was forced to terminate and did not make significant progress. Since the late 1960s, due to the difficulty in controlling lethality and the immaturity of nuclear reaction technology, the research and development of nuclear aircraft has fallen into a low ebb. Until 2001, in response to the United States' withdrawal from the "Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty", the research and development of "Haiyan" was officially put on the agenda and was carried out in collaboration by the Russian "Innovator" Design Bureau and the All-Russian Institute of Experimental Physics. At the beginning of its development, it was regarded as a "national heavy weapon" to break through the U.S. missile defense line and regain the balance of power among major powers.

According to relevant media reports, the "Haiyan" conducted four experiments between November 2017 and February 2018, and finally succeeded on February 20, 2019. According to the Russian military, the "Haiyan" will be officially put into service in 2025. Regarding the "Haiyan", Russian military expert Leonkov wrote in the "Russia Newspaper" that "it will trample the aggressor country back to the Stone Age". As the product of Russia's 24 years of hard work, the "Haiyan" soared into the sky in today's restless world, as if to indicate that the storm of nuclear-powered weapons is coming.

With its powerful strength, "Haiyan" takes off to win in the air and space

Since the "Haiyan" nuclear-powered cruise missile is currently in the research and testing stage, various data and detailed performance parameters can only be learned from sporadic official media reports and experimental videos. Therefore, since it was reported, it has been "shrouded in mystery". In terms of appearance, the "Haiyan" warhead adopts a multi-angular stealth shape, which effectively reduces the possibility of being discovered by radar. At the same time, the surface of the "Haiyan" is treated with wave-absorbing materials, making its stealth performance more superior. In addition, the truncated cone tail and V-shaped tail design provide a strong guarantee for the reduction of its flight resistance. It is reported that the "Haiyan" uses a solid rocket engine and a nuclear turbine engine as the power unit, and the flight speed can reach the subsonic level, about 900 meters per second.

"Haiyan" nuclear-powered cruise missile (Photo source: NetEase)

In terms of performance, compared with the flight time of conventional cruise missiles of tens of minutes to hours, the nearly unlimited flight time and range are undoubtedly the most eye-catching highlights of the "Petrel". It is reported that thanks to the use of the Terrain Contour Matching System (TERCOM) and the Digital Scene Image Matching Correction System (DSMAC), the "Petrel" can freely bypass the enemy's air defense and anti-missile system, "appear and disappear" to achieve low-altitude penetration, and carry out precise strikes at unexpected times and directions, thus turning the enemy's "strict barriers" into a "Maginot Line" that is in name only. In addition, the rectangular cross-section body design adopted by the "Petrel" effectively increases the cross-sectional area, thereby helping to reduce the total length of the missile. According to reports, the "Petrel" is about 12 meters long and about 1 meter in diameter. Compared with conventional intercontinental missiles, the smaller size of the "Petrel" can provide the possibility of making a more favorable trade-off between multiple launch devices and provide more diverse options for the execution of Russia's strategic tasks.

According to relevant media reports, "Haiyan" can freely choose to carry conventional warheads or nuclear warheads, and can be recovered autonomously. Compared with the American alien "SLAM" in the 20th century, the damage caused by "Haiyan" is more controllable, effectively avoiding the embarrassing situation that it can only be used as a "doomsday weapon". At the same time, compared with conventional intercontinental missiles, the free choice of warheads also significantly increases the versatility and compatibility of "Haiyan". It is reported that it can form a situation of mutual coordination, mutual support and mutual complementation with various Russian ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which will greatly help Russia to shape an air "missile network" with unlimited range, long-term patrol and controllable at any time, and also create new opportunities for the formation of Russia's new nuclear deterrence form after the "trinity".

In terms of technology, the successful development of the "Petrel" nuclear-powered cruise missile marks a new technological breakthrough for Russia in the miniaturization of nuclear reactions and nuclear radiation shielding. According to comments by US experts, the effective power of the "Petrel" nuclear-powered engine is 766 kilowatts, which has reached the advanced level of the world's compact nuclear-powered engines.

However, it should be noted that whether Russia can achieve stable control of the highly compact nuclear reactor in the nuclear-powered engine is still a big unknown for whether "Haiyan" can fly in the blue sky. On August 15, 2019, Russia's Izvestia clarified the suspected explosion of "Haiyan". Can it really fly for a long time like Haiyan without getting tired? Undoubtedly, this still requires time and continuous testing in practice.

Russia has announced the production workshop of "Haiyan", which shows that it is a giant cruise missile (Source: Internet)

Leading the era, the future weapons of Russia's strategic deterrence

The development of the "Petrel" nuclear-powered cruise missile can be regarded as a powerful response by Russia to the strategic squeeze of the United States and NATO's eastward expansion. It is a concrete manifestation of Russia's adjustment of its nuclear strategy after the change in the world pattern, and it is also a key move in the development of Russia's "three-in-one" strategic forces. At the same time, with limited military expenditures, Russia began to work hard on "asymmetric equipment" and strengthen its equipment advantages in a certain aspect with the idea of ​​"asymmetric response". The use of new nuclear weapons such as the "Petrel" nuclear-powered cruise missile and the "Poseidon" nuclear-powered torpedo missile will undoubtedly further strengthen Russia's strategic deterrence capability, making it more powerful in the complex "gunman game" and having more combination possibilities in nuclear strikes, thereby helping to maintain the strategic balance with the United States and its own great power status in a "four-two-pound" way.

In addition, compared with conventional cruise missiles, the deterrence capability of the "Petrel" has increased exponentially. According to Russian military expert Leonkov, existing radar detection means can hardly detect the radioactive exhaust gas produced by the operation of nuclear-powered engines. This undoubtedly provides favorable conditions for the long-term covert flight of the "Petrel". At the same time, because the "Petrel" adopts an ultra-low altitude flight of 50-100 meters, the existing defense system feels helpless.

There are many different opinions on the "Haiyan" nuclear-powered cruise missile. There are exaggerations and exaggerations. But it is undeniable that "Haiyan" has played a very important role in strategic deterrence and technological development. At the same time, the main factor in maintaining the balance of nuclear strategy is not weapons, but more in the comprehensive competition between people and advanced equipment. For the Russians, who are a "fighting nation", their perseverance and national commonality can be said to be the best spiritual pillar. As a full exploration of Russia's nuclear-powered cruise missiles, can "Haiyan" be unsheathed and help Russia draw a bold and colorful stroke in the current turbulent times? It can be foreseen that nuclear-powered cruise missiles will play a more important role in the future.

Zheng Songling is a core member of the theoretical research group of the National University of Defense Technology. He has published articles in important print media such as China National Defense News and central-level online media such as Guangming Military and China.com. Wang Zijia is a core member of the theoretical research group.

Produced by: Popular Science of China's Military Technology Produced by: Guangming Online Popular Science Department Authors: Zheng Songling and Wang Zijia (National University of Defense Technology) Review Expert: Fu Songyang (National University of Defense Technology) Planner: Jin He