Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capacity to avoid defensive systems.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader said that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the air for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as complying with standards, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in 2018.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a global defence think tank observed the corresponding time, Moscow faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the state's stockpile potentially relies not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists wrote.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an incident leading to several deaths."

A defence publication referenced in the study states the projectile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the weapon to be based anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to target goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the projectile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for air defences to stop.

The missile, referred to as Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered driven by a reactor system, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a media outlet recently identified a site 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the armament.

Utilizing orbital photographs from last summer, an specialist reported to the outlet he had observed several deployment sites in development at the location.

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