Moscow Reports Effective Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's top military official.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the commander told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in 2018, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capacity to bypass defensive systems.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in the previous year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on the specified date.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as up to specification, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet reported the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

However, as an international strategic institute observed the same year, Moscow encounters major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," analysts stated.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing several deaths."

A defence publication quoted in the report states the weapon has a operational radius of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike targets in the continental US."

The corresponding source also says the projectile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to engage.

The weapon, code-named Skyfall by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to activate after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently pinpointed a location a considerable distance above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Utilizing space-based photos from August 2024, an specialist informed the service he had detected several deployment sites in development at the facility.

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