Russia Reports Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the nation's leading commander.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the general told President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been held in last year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader stated the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a national news agency.

"Therefore, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet reported the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, Moscow encounters significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the country's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts stated.

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

A military journal cited in the report states the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be able to target goals in the continental US."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can operate as low as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for air defences to stop.

The missile, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is intended to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a news agency the previous year located a site a considerable distance above the capital as the likely launch site of the armament.

Using satellite imagery from the recent past, an expert told the outlet he had identified multiple firing positions being built at the site.

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