Moscow Announces Accomplished Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the state's top military official.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official the general told President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to avoid missile defences.

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 declared that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in the previous year, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader stated the missile was in the air for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed high capabilities to evade defensive networks," the media source reported the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in recent years.

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

However, as a foreign policy research organization observed the same year, Russia faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the state's stockpile potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists wrote.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident leading to multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study asserts the weapon has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the projectile to be stationed across the country and still be capable to strike objectives in the continental US."

The same journal also explains the projectile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, making it difficult for air defences to engage.

The missile, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year pinpointed a location a considerable distance from the city as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert told the agency he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the location.

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