Russia Confirms Effective Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

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

"We have conducted a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the commander reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-flying advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass anti-missile technology.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the missile was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

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

The projectile's application has been the subject of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

However, as an international strategic institute commented the identical period, Russia faces significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the country's stockpile potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts wrote.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap causing a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis states the weapon has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the weapon to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the weapon can fly as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to stop.

The projectile, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be driven by a reactor system, which is intended to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An inquiry by a news agency recently identified a location 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the armament.

Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an analyst told the service he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the facility.

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