3 ms·
Sounds like a RTG to me, though the only reason I can think of to put one on the missile itself is if you want to park it in orbit as some sort of first strike
by tomatotomato37 7y ago
Sounds like a RTG to me, though the only reason I can think of to put one on the missile itself is if you want to park it in orbit as some sort of first strike weapon
- gnode 7y agoIt's a nuclear propelled cruise missile (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9M730_Burevestnik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9M730_Burevestnik), conceptually similar to SLAM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_Low_Altitude_Missile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_Low_Altitude_Missil...). An RTG makes little sense for earth orbit, because there's plentiful sunlight, and solar panels can be used. RTGs are only really suited to missions far away from the sun.
- mannykannot 7y agoThe generic and ambiguous description of the device may have been chosen specifically in the hope that one might think that. If it really was an RTG, there does not seem to be anything to gain by not saying so. Furthermore, an RTG does not seem to be a likely cause of an explosion, though I suppose you could seal one up in a fluid-filled vessel without effective cooling and without a safety valve.