Moscow Reports Effective Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the country's senior general.

"We have conducted 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 told the head of state in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade missile defences.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility 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 last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as up to specification, based on a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it exhibited superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency quoted the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

However, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, the nation faces significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts wrote.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap causing several deaths."

A defence publication quoted in the analysis states the projectile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach goals in the American territory."

The same journal also explains the weapon can fly as low as a very low elevation above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to engage.

The weapon, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is believed to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.

An inquiry by a media outlet last year identified a site 475km above the capital as the likely launch site of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from the recent past, an specialist told the agency he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the location.

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