Moscow Announces Effective Trial of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the general informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in last year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since 2016, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader stated the weapon was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the test on October 21.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were found to be up to specification, based on a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it exhibited high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the outlet quoted the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in the past decade.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization commented the corresponding time, the nation encounters considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts wrote.

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

A military journal cited in the study states the projectile has a flight distance of between a substantial span, enabling "the missile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to target goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the projectile can fly as close to the ground as a very low elevation above ground, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet recently located a facility 475km from the city as the likely launch site of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert informed the service he had detected multiple firing positions in development at the site.

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