Russia Reports Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile
Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the nation's top military official.
"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the general reported to the Russian leader in a public appearance.
The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in 2018, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to evade missile defences.
Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements 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 a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an disarmament advocacy body.
Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the evaluation on 21 October.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.
"Therefore, it displayed high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the commander as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, Moscow faces significant challenges in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the nation's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists wrote.
"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in several deaths."
A armed forces periodical referenced in the report states the projectile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be deployed across the country and still be capable to target goals in the United States mainland."
The same journal also explains the weapon can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.
The weapon, referred to as an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is supposed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the sky.
An examination by a media outlet last year identified a facility 295 miles north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the weapon.
Utilizing space-based photos from last summer, an analyst told the agency he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.
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