Russia Announces Effective Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon
Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's top military official.
"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.
The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to bypass anti-missile technology.
International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.
The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had partial success since the mid-2010s, based on an disarmament advocacy body.
Gen Gerasimov stated the missile was in the air for a significant duration during the test on the specified date.
He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were found to be up to specification, as per a national news agency.
"As a result, it demonstrated advanced abilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the general as saying.
The missile's utility has been the topic of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in 2018.
A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a singular system with global strike capacity."
However, as an international strategic institute noted the identical period, Moscow encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its integration into the nation's stockpile potentially relies not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts stated.
"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing a number of casualties."
A military journal referenced in the report asserts the missile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, enabling "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be equipped to reach goals in the United States mainland."
The same journal also notes the weapon can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for air defences to intercept.
The missile, code-named a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is believed to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the atmosphere.
An inquiry by a reporting service the previous year located a site a considerable distance above the capital as the possible firing point of the armament.
Utilizing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist told the outlet he had identified multiple firing positions under construction at the site.
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