Moscow Announces Accomplished Test of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the state's top military official.
"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.
The low-altitude advanced armament, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to avoid missile defences.
International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.
The national leader stated that a "final successful test" of the armament had been held in 2023, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, based on an disarmament advocacy body.
The military leader said the missile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on October 21.
He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were determined to be up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.
"Consequently, it demonstrated high capabilities to evade defensive networks," the news agency quoted the general as saying.
The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.
A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."
Yet, as a global defence think tank commented the identical period, Russia encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the state's stockpile arguably hinges not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of securing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts noted.
"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing multiple fatalities."
A defence publication cited in the report claims the projectile has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be based throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach objectives in the American territory."
The same journal also notes the weapon can fly as close to the ground as a very low elevation above ground, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to engage.
The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is considered powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.
An investigation by a media outlet last year identified a site 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.
Employing satellite imagery from the recent past, an expert informed the outlet he had identified multiple firing positions in development at the facility.
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