Moscow Confirms Accomplished Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon
Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the nation's leading commander.
"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.
The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to avoid defensive systems.
Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.
The national leader declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in last 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 general said the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the evaluation on October 21.
He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as up to specification, as per a local reporting service.
"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet quoted the official as saying.
The missile's utility has been the subject of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in 2018.
A previous study by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."
Yet, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, the nation confronts considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the state's stockpile potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts noted.
"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing multiple fatalities."
A armed forces periodical quoted in the report claims the projectile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the weapon to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach targets in the continental US."
The same journal also explains the projectile can fly as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to intercept.
The weapon, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the sky.
An investigation by a news agency recently pinpointed a facility 295 miles from the city as the likely launch site of the weapon.
Using satellite imagery from last summer, an expert reported to the outlet he had identified multiple firing positions under construction at the site.
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