Moscow Announces Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the state's senior general.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the commander told President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid anti-missile technology.

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

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been conducted in the previous year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since 2016, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The general reported the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the evaluation on October 21.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

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

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in the past decade.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization observed the corresponding time, Moscow confronts major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the country's inventory arguably hinges not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A military journal referenced in the report asserts the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the missile to be deployed across the country and still be equipped to target targets in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also explains the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The projectile, code-named a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently pinpointed a facility 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist reported to the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

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