Moscow Reports Accomplished Test of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the state's leading commander.

"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying prototype missile, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an arms control campaign group.

The military leader said the missile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it displayed advanced abilities to bypass defensive networks," the media source stated the official as saying.

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

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with global strike capacity."

Yet, as a global defence think tank commented the identical period, the nation confronts considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts noted.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap leading to several deaths."

A defence publication referenced in the study claims the projectile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the projectile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, causing complexity for air defences to stop.

The weapon, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is considered driven by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a news agency recently located a facility 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from the recent past, an analyst told the agency he had observed several deployment sites being built at the site.

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