Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the nation's leading commander.

"We have executed a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff the commander told the head of state in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, initially revealed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been held in the previous year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader said the missile was in the sky for 15 hours during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it demonstrated advanced abilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source quoted the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as an international strategic institute noted the corresponding time, Russia encounters significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the country's stockpile arguably hinges not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap leading to several deaths."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis claims the projectile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach goals in the United States mainland."

The same journal also explains the projectile can fly as low as a very low elevation above the earth, causing complexity for defensive networks to stop.

The missile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a media outlet last year identified a site 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from the recent past, an specialist told the outlet he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the facility.

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