Russia Announces Effective Trial of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's leading commander.
"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.
The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in 2018, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to evade missile defences.
International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.
The head of state said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been carried out in last year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, according to an disarmament advocacy body.
Gen Gerasimov stated the projectile was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on 21 October.
He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, based on a national news agency.
"As a result, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.
A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a singular system with global strike capacity."
Yet, as an international strategic institute commented the same year, Moscow confronts significant challenges in developing a functional system.
"Its entry into the state's arsenal arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts stated.
"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing several deaths."
A armed forces periodical cited in the study asserts the projectile has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be able to reach objectives in the continental US."
The same journal also notes the weapon can travel as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above ground, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.
The projectile, designated a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the sky.
An investigation by a media outlet the previous year pinpointed a site 475km north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the weapon.
Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an analyst informed the outlet he had observed several deployment sites in development at the location.
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