Russia Announces Successful Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the state's leading commander.
"We have executed a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.
The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in recent years, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capacity to avoid defensive systems.
Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.
The president declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been held in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an disarmament advocacy body.
Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.
He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a local reporting service.
"Consequently, it exhibited high capabilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the commander as saying.
The weapon's usefulness 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 foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."
Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, the nation encounters significant challenges in developing a functional system.
"Its integration into the state's arsenal arguably hinges not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," specialists stated.
"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident leading to several deaths."
A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis states the weapon has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be based throughout the nation and still be able to target goals in the United States mainland."
The same journal also says the missile can travel as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, causing complexity for defensive networks to intercept.
The missile, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is thought to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.
An inquiry by a news agency last year located a site a considerable distance above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.
Utilizing space-based photos from August 2024, an specialist reported to the agency he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the location.
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