Russia Reports Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the country's senior general.
"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.
The low-altitude advanced armament, initially revealed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.
International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.
The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in the previous year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.
The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on 21 October.
He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.
"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to circumvent defensive networks," the media source reported the official as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.
A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a singular system with worldwide reach potential."
Yet, as a global defence think tank observed the same year, Russia faces major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its induction into the state's arsenal potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the atomic power system," analysts noted.
"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."
A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis claims the missile has a range of between a substantial span, permitting "the projectile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be able to reach targets in the United States mainland."
The corresponding source also explains the missile can fly as low as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.
The missile, code-named Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.
An investigation by a media outlet recently located a site 475km above the capital as the probable deployment area of the weapon.
Utilizing orbital photographs from the recent past, an expert reported to the outlet he had detected several deployment sites in development at the location.
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