Russia Confirms Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the nation's leading commander.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff the general told the head of state in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to evade anti-missile technology.

Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in the previous year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had limited accomplishment since 2016, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader said the projectile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the trial on October 21.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it demonstrated high capabilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the general as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A recent analysis by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Yet, as an international strategic institute noted the corresponding time, the nation encounters considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the nation's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts wrote.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap leading to multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the study states the projectile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the missile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also explains the weapon can fly as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the surface, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a reporting service last year located a facility a considerable distance above the capital as the possible firing point of the armament.

Utilizing satellite imagery from last summer, an analyst informed the agency he had identified nine horizontal launch pads being built at the facility.

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