Moscow Confirms Successful Trial of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the country's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the commander told the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to avoid missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been conducted in the previous year, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had moderate achievement since several years ago, based on an non-proliferation organization.

The general stated the projectile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the test on 21 October.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were found to be up to specification, based on a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated superior performance to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the media source stated the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was first announced in 2018.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, Moscow faces significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the country's arsenal likely depends not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts noted.

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

A military journal quoted in the study states the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach objectives in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also says the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for defensive networks to intercept.

The missile, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a news agency last year pinpointed a facility 475km above the capital as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using space-based photos from the recent past, an expert told the service he had detected several deployment sites in development at the site.

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