Moscow Reports Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the country's senior general.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, originally disclosed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.

The military leader said the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on 21 October.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated advanced abilities to circumvent defensive networks," the media source stated the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a singular system with global strike capacity."

However, as an international strategic institute observed the corresponding time, Moscow encounters significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the nation's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," specialists wrote.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."

A defence publication referenced in the analysis claims the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the missile to be based across the country and still be able to reach targets in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the missile can fly as low as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The projectile, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently identified a location 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from last summer, an analyst reported to the agency he had detected multiple firing positions being built at the facility.

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