Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the state's senior general.

"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the general told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had partial success since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on October 21.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"Therefore, it displayed advanced abilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the media source reported the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute commented the corresponding time, the nation faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the nation's inventory potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," experts wrote.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the report claims the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be stationed across the country and still be capable to strike targets in the United States mainland."

The same journal also explains the weapon can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to engage.

The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An inquiry by a news agency recently identified a facility a considerable distance from the city as the likely launch site of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst informed the service he had detected nine horizontal launch pads in development at the site.

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