Putin, before vote, unveils 'invincible' nuclear weapons to counter West
President Vladimir Putin unveiled an array of new nuclear weapons on Thursday, in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield. [...] His remarks were greeted with scepticism in Washington, where officials cast doubt on whether Russia has added any new capabilities to its nuclear arsenal beyond those already known to the U.S. military and intelligence agencies.
[...] Among weapons that Putin said were either in development or ready was a new intercontinental ballistic missile "with a practically unlimited range" able to attack via the North and South Poles and bypass any missile defense systems.
Putin also spoke of a small nuclear-powered engine that could be fitted to what he said were low-flying, highly maneuverable cruise missiles, giving them a practically unlimited range. The new engine meant Russia was able to make a new type of weapon - nuclear missiles powered by nuclear rather than conventional fuel. "Nothing like it in the world exists," Putin told the audience. "At some point it will probably appear (elsewhere) but by that time our guys will have devised something else."
Other new super weapons he listed included underwater nuclear drones, a supersonic weapon and a laser weapon. In one of his video clip demos, a weapon appeared to be hovering over what looked like a map of the state of Florida.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by takyon on Friday March 02 2018, @06:22AM (2 children)
Putin talked about new weapons for his domestic image 18 days before Russian election [nextbigfuture.com]
That says what we expect: it's posturing for the upcoming elections. Not that it's really needed. Putin will win.
Russia claims 100 times smaller nuclear reactor than submarine reactors but with more power [nextbigfuture.com]
Could be a lie, but possibly a reference to an unshielded reactor.
Russia propoganda whines we have lots of nukes but you obsess about Elon Musk SpaceX and not us [nextbigfuture.com]
Russia is trying to stay relevant. If Falcon Heavy is making them antsy, then BFR will make them... go ballistic?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 02 2018, @07:01PM (1 child)
SpaceX doesn't make nukes. SpaceX takes money away from Russian space agency. You might as well hear *everyone* whine about SpaceX. Just look at the United Space Alliance that tried suing their way to stay relevant.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday March 02 2018, @08:36PM
Trust me, you haven't heard/read the worst whining about SpaceX, until you've seen...
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/patriarchal-race-colonize-mars-just-another-example-male-entitlement-ncna849681 [nbcnews.com]
I considered submitting it along with some other SpaceX opposition but said "nah, fuck it".
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]