Moscow Announces Effective Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon
Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's leading commander.
"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official the commander told the head of state in a public appearance.
The low-flying experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to bypass defensive systems.
Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.
The national leader stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had partial success since the mid-2010s, based on an arms control campaign group.
The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the trial on the specified date.
He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were found to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.
"Consequently, it exhibited advanced abilities to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source stated the general as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in the past decade.
A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."
Yet, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Moscow confronts major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its induction into the state's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.
"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing several deaths."
A military journal referenced in the analysis claims the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the projectile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach goals in the continental US."
The corresponding source also notes the weapon can operate as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.
The weapon, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.
An inquiry by a news agency the previous year identified a site a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.
Using space-based photos from last summer, an specialist informed the agency he had identified several deployment sites being built at the location.
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