Moscow Reports Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the country's leading commander.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in 2018, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass anti-missile technology.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having successfully tested it.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader stated the missile was in the sky for a significant duration during the test on 21 October.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were found to be complying with standards, according to a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the media source stated the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

However, as a foreign policy research organization observed the identical period, Russia confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an incident leading to multiple fatalities."

A defence publication cited in the analysis states the projectile has a flight distance of between a substantial span, permitting "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also explains the missile can fly as low as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to stop.

The weapon, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is considered driven by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a reporting service last year located a facility a considerable distance north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Using orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

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