Moscow Announces Successful Trial of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the commander informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass defensive systems.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been held in last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be up to specification, based on a national news agency.

"Therefore, it displayed superior performance to evade defensive networks," the media source stated the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a singular system with global strike capacity."

However, as a foreign policy research organization commented the identical period, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the country's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in a number of casualties."

A military journal referenced in the analysis claims the projectile has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to target objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also notes the projectile can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The weapon, referred to as Skyfall by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the air.

An inquiry by a media outlet last year identified a site 295 miles north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the armament.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist reported to the agency he had detected nine horizontal launch pads being built at the location.

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