Moscow Reports Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon
Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's senior general.
"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the commander reported to President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.
The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass defensive systems.
International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.
The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been held in last year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, as per an non-proliferation organization.
Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the evaluation on the specified date.
He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.
"Consequently, it displayed high capabilities to circumvent defensive networks," the news agency reported the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was first announced in 2018.
A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."
However, as a foreign policy research organization observed the identical period, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," specialists stated.
"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."
A military journal quoted in the report asserts the projectile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to strike goals in the American territory."
The identical publication also explains the weapon can travel as low as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, causing complexity for defensive networks to intercept.
The weapon, code-named a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered powered by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.
An inquiry by a media outlet the previous year identified a facility 475km north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the armament.
Utilizing orbital photographs from the recent past, an specialist told the outlet he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the location.
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