Russia Confirms Accomplished Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the country's top military official.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the commander informed the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to evade defensive systems.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been held in 2023, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had partial success since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.

The general said the weapon was in the air for 15 hours during the evaluation on 21 October.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were determined to be up to specification, as per a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it displayed superior performance to evade missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the general as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization noted the same year, Russia faces significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," experts stated.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap causing multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis asserts the weapon has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to strike objectives in the American territory."

The corresponding source also says the projectile can travel as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to engage.

The missile, referred to as an operational name by a foreign security organization, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a reporting service recently identified a facility 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst reported to the service he had observed nine horizontal launch pads being built at the facility.

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