Moscow Confirms Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's leading commander.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying prototype missile, first announced in the past decade, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The president said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in last year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had partial success 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 October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it demonstrated advanced abilities to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank observed the corresponding time, the nation confronts considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the country's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing a number of casualties."

A defence publication referenced in the analysis asserts the projectile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the projectile to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to reach goals in the American territory."

The same journal also notes the missile can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for air defences to engage.

The weapon, referred to as a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is thought to be powered by a atomic power source, which is intended to activate after initial propulsion units have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a reporting service last year located a location a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist reported to the agency he had observed nine horizontal launch pads being built at the site.

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