Russia Reports Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the country's top military official.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general informed the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, initially revealed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to evade defensive systems.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The national leader declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been held in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since several years ago, based on an arms control campaign group.

The military leader stated the projectile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the evaluation on October 21.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were determined to be up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

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

The projectile's application has been the focus of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a foreign policy research organization noted the identical period, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the nation's stockpile arguably hinges not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," specialists noted.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis states the missile has a range of between a substantial span, permitting "the missile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to strike goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the projectile can operate as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above ground, making it difficult for air defences to engage.

The projectile, code-named Skyfall by a foreign security organization, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is intended to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the air.

An inquiry by a reporting service last year identified a site 295 miles from the city as the likely launch site of the armament.

Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist reported to the service he had detected multiple firing positions under construction at the site.

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