Russia Reports Accomplished Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's top military official.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the ability to bypass anti-missile technology.

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

The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been carried out in last year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had partial success since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the missile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the trial on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it exhibited advanced abilities to circumvent defensive networks," the news agency stated the commander as saying.

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

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

However, as a foreign policy research organization observed the same year, Moscow faces major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the state's stockpile likely depends not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the atomic power system," specialists noted.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident causing a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the study claims the projectile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be able to reach goals in the American territory."

The same journal also says the missile can operate as low as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The missile, code-named Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered driven by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a news agency last year identified a facility 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Utilizing satellite imagery from last summer, an analyst told the service he had identified several deployment sites being built at the facility.

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