Russia Reports Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the country's top military official.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general reported to President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, first announced in the past decade, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capability to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The national leader declared that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader reported the projectile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it demonstrated superior performance to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet stated the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a global defence think tank noted the corresponding time, Russia confronts major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the state's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts stated.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A defence publication referenced in the study asserts the weapon has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach goals in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also notes the missile can fly as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the surface, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The missile, designated an operational name by a foreign security organization, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.

An investigation by a reporting service recently identified a site 295 miles north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using space-based photos from last summer, an expert told the outlet he had detected several deployment sites in development at the location.

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