Russia Confirms Accomplished Test of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the country's senior general.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the general informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid anti-missile technology.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had limited accomplishment since 2016, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the test on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a local reporting service.

"As a result, it displayed superior performance to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization noted the corresponding time, the nation encounters significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the state's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the study states the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach targets in the United States mainland."

The same journal also says the weapon can fly as close to the ground as a very low elevation above the surface, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to stop.

The weapon, referred to as an operational name by a foreign security organization, is considered powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the sky.

An investigation by a media outlet last year located a facility 295 miles north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from last summer, an specialist told the agency he had identified multiple firing positions under construction at the site.

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