Russia has completed its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, which NATO sees as a major threat due to its unlimited range and high manoeuvrability.
  • FlakesBongler [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    11·
    28 days ago

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  • blobjim [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    4·
    27 days ago

    The bigger news about this is that the missile is nuclear-powered which is crazy. How does that even work? I assume it still needs fuel or something? Or does it have a propeller?

    • livestreamedcollapse@lemmy.mlEnglish
      7·
      27 days ago

      The big fans you see at the front of jet engines are called compressor blades & they draw in the air. The compressor blade discs neck down progressively which, as you might’ve guessed from the name, compresses the density of the air to cram more oxygen in a given volume for the next stage, combustion. Fuel is burned here, the exhaust gases expand out the back through a series of turbine blades, which are spun by these gases to power the compressor at the front.

      The heat from the nuclear reactor causes the compressed air to expand rather than burning fuel. The issue has been getting a reactor that is light enough to fly, yet still has sufficient radiation shielding to not (terribly) irradiate the engine’s airflow. The latter isn’t much a concern for a cruise missile flying over enemy territory, but if you want to recall the missile then you’ve got a reactor that’s going 900kmh without landing gear that you need to dispose of.