Russia Reports Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's senior general.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the commander informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass defensive systems.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in the previous year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had limited accomplishment since 2016, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader said the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on 21 October.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were found to be complying with standards, as per a national news agency.

"Consequently, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency quoted the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank commented the corresponding time, Moscow confronts major obstacles in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the state's arsenal arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," analysts stated.

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

A armed forces periodical quoted in the report asserts the weapon has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to target objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the weapon can operate as low as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to engage.

The missile, designated an operational name by a foreign security organization, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to activate after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a reporting service recently located a facility a considerable distance above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Utilizing orbital photographs from August 2024, an expert told the agency he had identified multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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