Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, originally disclosed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to evade defensive systems.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

The general stated the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, based on a local reporting service.

"As a result, it exhibited high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

However, as an international strategic institute observed the same year, the nation confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," specialists stated.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in a number of casualties."

A military journal quoted in the analysis asserts the weapon has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to strike goals in the United States mainland."

The same journal also explains the missile can travel as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The missile, code-named Skyfall by an international defence pact, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is intended to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the air.

An examination by a news agency last year identified a location a considerable distance above the capital as the likely launch site of the weapon.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst told the agency he had observed several deployment sites in development at the site.

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