Moscow Confirms Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the state's top military official.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to avoid defensive systems.

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

The president stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been conducted in the previous year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The general stated the projectile was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were determined to be meeting requirements, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet quoted the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the identical period, the nation faces major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the state's inventory arguably hinges not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A defence publication quoted in the analysis claims the projectile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be deployed across the country and still be able to reach objectives in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also notes the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.

The missile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is intended to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the sky.

An examination by a reporting service recently located a location a considerable distance north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an expert told the outlet he had identified multiple firing positions in development at the facility.

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