Moscow Confirms Effective Trial of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the nation's senior general.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the commander reported to the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass missile defences.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.

The general said the missile was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, as per a national news agency.

"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization noted the corresponding time, the nation confronts significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts stated.

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

A military journal quoted in the analysis states the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach goals in the continental US."

The corresponding source also explains the missile can operate as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the sky.

An investigation by a reporting service last year identified a site a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from last summer, an specialist informed the outlet he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the location.

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