Moscow Announces Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's senior general.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official the general reported to the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to avoid anti-missile technology.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been held in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the test on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it exhibited high capabilities to evade defensive networks," the media source reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, the nation encounters significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the state's stockpile likely depends not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap leading to several deaths."

A defence publication cited in the analysis asserts the projectile has a flight distance of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to target targets in the American territory."

The identical publication also explains the missile can travel as low as a very low elevation above the surface, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to stop.

The missile, referred to as an operational name by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to activate after initial propulsion units have launched it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year located a location 295 miles from the city as the likely launch site of the armament.

Utilizing orbital photographs from the recent past, an specialist reported to the service he had detected several deployment sites being built at the location.

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