Moscow Reports Accomplished Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the nation's leading commander.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the general told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, first announced 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 projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The president said that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been held in the previous year, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov stated the missile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as up to specification, as per a national news agency.

"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to bypass missile and air defence systems," the outlet reported the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Yet, as a global defence think tank observed the same year, Russia encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the state's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap resulting in multiple fatalities."

A military journal quoted in the report claims the missile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, enabling "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to target goals in the American territory."

The same journal also explains the missile can operate as low as a very low elevation above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to engage.

The projectile, referred to as a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is thought to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a media outlet last year located a facility 295 miles north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the armament.

Employing orbital photographs from last summer, an expert reported to the outlet he had detected nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

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