Russia Confirms Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Weapon

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the nation's senior general.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-altitude advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass defensive systems.

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

The president stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader stated the weapon was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it exhibited high capabilities to evade defensive networks," the outlet quoted the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the identical period, Russia encounters significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the nation's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."

A defence publication referenced in the study claims the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the weapon to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be able to target targets in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the missile can travel as low as a very low elevation above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the air.

An inquiry by a reporting service the previous year identified a facility a considerable distance north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from the recent past, an expert told the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions in development at the facility.

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