Moscow Announces Successful Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have launched 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 general informed President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

The low-flying advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to evade missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been carried out in the previous year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader reported the missile was in the air for fifteen hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were found to be meeting requirements, based on a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed superior performance to evade missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a global defence think tank noted the corresponding time, Moscow confronts significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the state's stockpile arguably hinges not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the study claims the weapon has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the projectile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to reach goals in the American territory."

The same journal also says the weapon can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The missile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet last year identified a location 475km north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the missile.

Using space-based photos from August 2024, an analyst reported to the outlet he had detected multiple firing positions in development at the site.

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