Russia Confirms Accomplished Test of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the state's top military official.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-flying experimental weapon, first announced in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to evade defensive systems.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the test on the specified date.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were determined to be up to specification, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it displayed high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the media source reported the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was first announced in the past decade.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

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

"Its entry into the state's stockpile arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," specialists wrote.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis states the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, enabling "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be equipped to strike objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the projectile can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to stop.

The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be driven by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a reporting service the previous year pinpointed a facility 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Utilizing satellite imagery from the recent past, an specialist informed the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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