Moscow Announces Effective Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

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

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to bypass missile defences.

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

The president said that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, based on an non-proliferation organization.

The general said 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 found to be meeting requirements, as per a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed superior performance to evade defensive networks," the media source stated the commander as saying.

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

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, Moscow encounters significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the country's inventory likely depends not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap leading to multiple fatalities."

A defence publication quoted in the study claims the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the projectile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike goals in the United States mainland."

The same journal also notes the weapon can fly as low as a very low elevation above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to stop.

The missile, referred to as an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have sent it into the sky.

An inquiry by a news agency recently located a facility a considerable distance above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

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

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