Moscow Reports Successful Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the state's senior general.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to avoid missile defences.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The president stated that a "final successful test" of the armament had been conducted in last year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov stated the missile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were found to be complying with standards, based on a local reporting service.

"As a result, it displayed superior performance to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet stated the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization observed the corresponding time, Moscow encounters significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the nation's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to a number of casualties."

A defence publication quoted in the report claims the weapon has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be able to reach objectives in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also says the projectile can fly as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to engage.

The projectile, referred to as a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An investigation by a news agency last year located a site 475km north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the weapon.

Utilizing space-based photos from August 2024, an expert told the outlet he had detected several deployment sites being built at the location.

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