Russia Confirms Accomplished Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the commander told the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-flying experimental weapon, first announced in 2018, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to avoid defensive systems.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been carried out in the previous year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The general stated the missile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were determined to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it exhibited high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was first announced in the past decade.

A previous study 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 a foreign policy research organization commented the corresponding time, Moscow faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the nation's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts stated.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident leading to several deaths."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study claims the projectile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, allowing "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to reach goals in the continental US."

The corresponding source also explains the projectile can operate as low as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to engage.

The missile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be driven by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the air.

An examination by a news agency last year located a site 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Using orbital photographs from the recent past, an expert told the service he had observed nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the location.

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