Moscow Announces Successful Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's top military official.
"We have executed a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the general informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.
The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid defensive systems.
International analysts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.
The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had partial success since several years ago, based on an arms control campaign group.
Gen Gerasimov stated the missile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on the specified date.
He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a national news agency.
"As a result, it exhibited high capabilities to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet quoted the commander as saying.
The missile's utility has been the subject of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank commented the identical period, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.
"Its induction into the country's arsenal potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of securing the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts noted.
"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."
A military journal cited in the study asserts the missile has a range of between a substantial span, enabling "the weapon to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to strike goals in the American territory."
The same journal also notes the missile can operate as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to intercept.
The weapon, code-named Skyfall by a foreign security organization, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.
An inquiry by a reporting service last year identified a facility 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the armament.
Employing space-based photos from the recent past, an analyst informed the agency he had observed multiple firing positions under construction at the site.
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