Russia Announces Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

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

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been carried out in last year, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on the specified date.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a singular system with global strike capacity."

However, as an international strategic institute observed the same year, Russia faces considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the nation's stockpile potentially relies not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts wrote.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study states the missile has a range of between a substantial span, enabling "the projectile to be based across the country and still be able to strike goals in the United States mainland."

The same journal also explains the missile can travel as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The weapon, referred to as an operational name by a foreign security organization, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a news agency last year identified a site 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert informed the service he had detected multiple firing positions being built at the location.

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