Russia Confirms Effective Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's top military official.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to evade missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been carried out in last year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since several years ago, based on an arms control campaign group.

The general stated the missile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it demonstrated advanced abilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness 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 determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a singular system with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute commented the same year, Moscow confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts wrote.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident leading to multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis claims the projectile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be able to strike goals in the American territory."

The corresponding source also explains the missile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The weapon, code-named a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered powered by a reactor system, which is intended to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the air.

An examination by a news agency the previous year pinpointed a facility 475km north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from August 2024, an analyst told the outlet he had identified several deployment sites being built at the facility.

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