Moscow Reports Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the nation's senior general.
"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a televised meeting.
The terrain-hugging prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to bypass missile defences.
Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having successfully tested it.
The president declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had partial success since several years ago, based on an non-proliferation organization.
The general said the missile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.
He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a national news agency.
"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to circumvent defensive networks," the news agency reported the official as saying.
The missile's utility has been the focus of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in the past decade.
A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."
However, as a foreign policy research organization noted the corresponding time, the nation faces major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," specialists stated.
"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing a number of casualties."
A military journal quoted in the report states the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, permitting "the projectile to be based across the country and still be able to target targets in the continental US."
The identical publication also explains the weapon can fly as low as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for air defences to stop.
The missile, code-named Skyfall by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.
An investigation by a news agency last year identified a site 295 miles from the city as the likely launch site of the weapon.
Utilizing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist reported to the agency he had detected multiple firing positions in development at the location.
Connected News
- National Leader Approves Amendments to Nuclear Doctrine
