Russia Announces Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile
Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the country's top military official.
"We have executed a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.
The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass anti-missile technology.
Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.
The national leader said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been carried out in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since several years ago, based on an non-proliferation organization.
The general reported the missile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on October 21.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be up to specification, based on a national news agency.
"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the media source reported the general as saying.
The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in 2018.
A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."
However, as a global defence think tank observed the identical period, the nation encounters considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.
"Its entry into the nation's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," specialists stated.
"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap leading to several deaths."
A defence publication referenced in the study claims the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach targets in the continental US."
The same journal also explains the missile can operate as low as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to intercept.
The projectile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the sky.
An examination by a reporting service the previous year identified a site 295 miles north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the missile.
Using space-based photos from August 2024, an analyst told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads in development at the site.
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