Moscow Reports Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's senior general.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the general informed the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-flying prototype missile, first announced in the past decade, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capability to bypass anti-missile technology.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been carried out in the previous year, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader said the missile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the evaluation on the specified date.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to evade missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

However, as a foreign policy research organization commented the identical period, Moscow confronts significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the state's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts noted.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident causing several deaths."

A military journal quoted in the study claims the projectile has a range of between a substantial span, enabling "the missile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach targets in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also explains the missile can fly as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The projectile, designated Skyfall by a Western alliance, is thought to be propelled by a reactor system, which is intended to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a reporting service recently located a site a considerable distance north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the armament.

Employing space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist informed the agency he had identified several deployment sites being built at the site.

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