Moscow Reports Effective Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Weapon

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's top military official.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to evade missile defences.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The president said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been conducted in the previous year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The general stated the weapon was in the air for a significant duration during the evaluation on October 21.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as up to specification, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to bypass missile and air defence systems," the media source stated the general as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a global defence think tank commented the same year, Moscow encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the country's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study states the projectile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to strike objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the missile can fly as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, rendering it challenging for air defences to engage.

The weapon, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be driven by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a media outlet recently located a site 295 miles above the capital as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Employing space-based photos from August 2024, an expert informed the service he had identified multiple firing positions in development at the location.

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