Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the country's top military official.
"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.
The low-flying experimental weapon, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid missile defences.
Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.
The national leader stated that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in last year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since 2016, as per an non-proliferation organization.
Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.
He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were confirmed as complying with standards, as per a local reporting service.
"Consequently, it exhibited advanced abilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the outlet reported the general as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a singular system with intercontinental range capability."
However, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, the nation encounters major obstacles in making the weapon viable.
"Its integration into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists wrote.
"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident resulting in several deaths."
A defence publication referenced in the analysis states the missile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to reach goals in the American territory."
The corresponding source also explains the missile can operate as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for air defences to engage.
The projectile, referred to as a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.
An investigation by a reporting service the previous year located a facility 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.
Employing space-based photos from the recent past, an expert informed the outlet he had detected multiple firing positions under construction at the location.
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