Russia Reports Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the nation's senior general.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general told the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had partial success since several years ago, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the missile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, as per a local reporting service.

"As a result, it exhibited advanced abilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Yet, as an international strategic institute commented the identical period, Russia confronts considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of securing the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts wrote.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident causing multiple fatalities."

A defence publication referenced in the report asserts the projectile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach goals in the American territory."

The corresponding source also explains the missile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to engage.

The weapon, referred to as an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a news agency the previous year pinpointed a facility a considerable distance above the capital as the likely launch site of the armament.

Using space-based photos from August 2024, an expert told the agency he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the location.

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