Moscow Reports Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile
Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's senior general.
"We have conducted a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.
The low-altitude prototype missile, first announced in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to avoid anti-missile technology.
Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.
The national leader declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an non-proliferation organization.
Gen Gerasimov said the missile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on October 21.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, as per a local reporting service.
"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass defensive networks," the news agency stated the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the subject of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in 2018.
A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."
Yet, as an international strategic institute commented the corresponding time, Russia confronts major obstacles in making the weapon viable.
"Its induction into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists wrote.
"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."
A armed forces periodical cited in the analysis claims the weapon has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the missile to be based throughout the nation and still be equipped to strike goals in the American territory."
The corresponding source also notes the weapon can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, rendering it challenging for air defences to intercept.
The projectile, designated a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.
An inquiry by a news agency last year identified a site a considerable distance from the city as the likely launch site of the weapon.
Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst informed the service he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the location.
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