Russia Reports Successful Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

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

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, first announced in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to evade missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The president declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been conducted in last year, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

The general said the weapon was in the air for a significant duration during the test on October 21.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, according to a national news agency.

"Therefore, it displayed superior performance to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization noted the same year, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the state's inventory arguably hinges not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists stated.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."

A defence publication referenced in the study states the weapon has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the missile to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to strike objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also says the missile can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The weapon, code-named Skyfall by a foreign security organization, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet recently identified a location 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the armament.

Using orbital photographs from last summer, an specialist reported to the agency he had detected multiple firing positions being built at the location.

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