Russia Reports Effective Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to avoid anti-missile technology.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had partial success since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov said the missile was in the air for a significant duration during the test on 21 October.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as up to specification, as per a national news agency.

"As a result, it exhibited high capabilities to evade defensive networks," the news agency stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus 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 concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the same year, the nation confronts considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of securing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts stated.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis claims the missile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, permitting "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also explains the projectile can travel as low as a very low elevation above the surface, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a reporting service last year located a location 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using satellite imagery from the recent past, an analyst informed the agency he had detected nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the location.

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