Moscow Announces Successful Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's senior general.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, originally disclosed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The national leader said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been carried out in last year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov said the projectile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were determined to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it exhibited high capabilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the media source reported the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

However, as an international strategic institute commented the same year, Russia faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the nation's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A defence publication referenced in the report states the weapon has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the missile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also notes the weapon can fly as low as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to intercept.

The weapon, code-named an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year pinpointed a site a considerable distance north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the missile.

Using space-based photos from August 2024, an expert told the service he had identified nine horizontal launch pads being built at the location.

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