Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Weapon

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the nation's top military official.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the commander told the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-flying advanced armament, initially revealed in 2018, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been carried out in the previous year, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the air for a significant duration during the evaluation on 21 October.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the media source quoted the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

However, as an international strategic institute noted the identical period, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the nation's inventory likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts wrote.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an incident resulting in several deaths."

A defence publication cited in the study asserts the weapon has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the weapon to be based across the country and still be equipped to strike goals in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also says the weapon can fly as low as a very low elevation above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The weapon, referred to as an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered powered by a reactor system, which is designed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.

An inquiry by a news agency last year identified a site 475km above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert informed the service he had identified nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.

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