Moscow Announces Effective Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the nation's top military official.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude advanced armament, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to bypass missile defences.

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

The president declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in the previous year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, as per an arms control campaign group.

The general reported the projectile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it displayed advanced abilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the outlet reported the general as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in 2018.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute noted the corresponding time, Moscow confronts significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing multiple fatalities."

A defence publication referenced in the analysis states the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the projectile to be based across the country and still be equipped to reach goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the missile can travel as low as a very low elevation above ground, causing complexity for air defences to engage.

The weapon, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is thought to be powered by a reactor system, which is intended to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a reporting service recently located a facility a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Employing orbital photographs from August 2024, an expert told the agency he had observed multiple firing positions being built at the location.

Related Developments

• National Leader Approves Modifications to Nuclear Doctrine