Russia Confirms Effective Trial of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon
Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the state's senior general.
"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the general informed the Russian leader in a public appearance.
The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to avoid missile defences.
Western experts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.
The president stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had partial success since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.
The general stated the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the evaluation on 21 October.
He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as complying with standards, according to a national news agency.
"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the outlet quoted the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in recent years.
A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."
However, as a global defence think tank commented the identical period, Russia confronts considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the nation's inventory likely depends not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts wrote.
"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an incident resulting in several deaths."
A armed forces periodical referenced in the study claims the missile has a flight distance of between a substantial span, permitting "the weapon to be based throughout the nation and still be equipped to strike objectives in the American territory."
The same journal also says the missile can operate as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to stop.
The projectile, referred to as a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have sent it into the air.
An examination by a news agency last year identified a location 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.
Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst informed the outlet he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the site.
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