Russia Announces Accomplished Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

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

"We have conducted a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the general reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to bypass defensive systems.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The president said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been carried out in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

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

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were found to be up to specification, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it exhibited superior performance to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

However, as a global defence think tank commented the corresponding time, Russia confronts major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the state's stockpile arguably hinges not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts wrote.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap leading to several deaths."

A defence publication referenced in the report claims the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, allowing "the missile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to strike objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also says the projectile can operate as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above ground, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after initial propulsion units have launched it into the sky.

An investigation by a media outlet last year identified a location 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from last summer, an analyst reported to the service he had detected several deployment sites under construction at the facility.

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