Russia Confirms Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

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

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the commander told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying experimental weapon, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to evade defensive systems.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The head of state stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been carried out in last year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

The general stated the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the evaluation on 21 October.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization noted the same year, Russia confronts considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the nation's arsenal arguably hinges not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an incident leading to several deaths."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis asserts the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to target goals in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also explains the missile can fly as close to the ground as a very low elevation above the surface, rendering it challenging for air defences to stop.

The projectile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have launched it into the sky.

An inquiry by a news agency last year located a facility 475km above the capital as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads being built at the site.

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