Russia Announces Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the nation's top military official.

"We have launched a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass anti-missile technology.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The national leader declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been carried out in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

The general reported the missile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the evaluation on the specified date.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were determined to be complying with standards, based on a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it demonstrated advanced abilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

However, as an international strategic institute commented the identical period, Moscow faces considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the nation's inventory potentially relies not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an accident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the study states the weapon has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be able to reach objectives in the United States mainland."

The same journal also notes the weapon can fly as low as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to engage.

The projectile, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An investigation by a media outlet the previous year located a site a considerable distance above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Employing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist reported to the outlet he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.

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