Russia Announces Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon
The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the state's senior general.
"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.
The terrain-hugging advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to bypass anti-missile technology.
Western experts have previously cast doubt over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.
The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in 2023, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since 2016, as per an arms control campaign group.
The general stated the projectile was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on the specified date.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.
"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source reported the commander as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in recent years.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank commented the same year, the nation confronts major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," analysts wrote.
"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident causing several deaths."
A defence publication cited in the analysis claims the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the missile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach objectives in the United States mainland."
The corresponding source also explains the weapon can travel as low as a very low elevation above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.
The projectile, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the sky.
An inquiry by a media outlet the previous year located a facility 295 miles north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the missile.
Employing orbital photographs from the recent past, an specialist told the agency he had detected several deployment sites under construction at the location.
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