Russia Confirms Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon
The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the nation's leading commander.
"We have executed a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.
The low-flying prototype missile, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass missile defences.
Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.
The national leader stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in the previous year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had limited accomplishment since 2016, according to an disarmament advocacy body.
The general stated the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on 21 October.
He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as up to specification, as per a national news agency.
"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the commander as saying.
The missile's utility has been the subject of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.
A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a singular system with worldwide reach potential."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank observed the corresponding time, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.
"Its entry into the country's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts stated.
"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident resulting in a number of casualties."
A armed forces periodical cited in the study asserts the missile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be based across the country and still be capable to reach goals in the continental US."
The same journal also explains the projectile can travel as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above ground, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.
The missile, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the air.
An investigation by a news agency last year identified a site a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.
Using orbital photographs from the recent past, an analyst reported to the agency he had detected nine horizontal launch pads being built at the facility.
Connected News
- National Leader Approves Modifications to Nuclear Doctrine
