Moscow Reports Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's senior general.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the general told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The president declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been held in the previous year, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov stated the weapon was in the air for a significant duration during the evaluation on the specified date.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were confirmed as meeting requirements, as per a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it exhibited superior performance to evade defensive networks," the outlet reported the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the corresponding time, Russia confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the nation's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," experts stated.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the analysis claims the missile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike targets in the continental US."

The corresponding source also says the missile can travel as low as a very low elevation above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to stop.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be propelled by a reactor system, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a reporting service the previous year located a facility 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Employing orbital photographs from last summer, an expert reported to the outlet he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the site.

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