Russia Confirms Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude advanced armament, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to avoid missile defences.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had limited accomplishment since 2016, based on an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the projectile was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, according to a national news agency.

"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the media source quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization commented the same year, the nation encounters major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of securing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts noted.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an accident resulting in several deaths."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the study claims the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be able to strike targets in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also says the projectile can travel as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.

The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet last year pinpointed a location 475km north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using space-based photos from last summer, an analyst informed the service he had detected several deployment sites in development at the site.

Associated Updates

• Head of State Endorses Amendments to Strategic Guidelines