Moscow Reports Accomplished Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the state's top military official.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the commander told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to bypass anti-missile technology.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader stated that a "final successful test" of the missile had been held in the previous year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had partial success since the mid-2010s, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov reported the missile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"As a result, it exhibited advanced abilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in recent years.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a global defence think tank noted the same year, the nation faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the state's arsenal likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," analysts stated.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the report claims the missile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to target goals in the United States mainland."

The same journal also explains the missile can travel as close to the ground as a very low elevation above ground, causing complexity for defensive networks to stop.

The weapon, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An investigation by a media outlet last year pinpointed a location 475km from the city as the likely launch site of the missile.

Using orbital photographs from the recent past, an analyst told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

Connected News

• National Leader Approves Revisions to Strategic Guidelines