Moscow Confirms Effective Trial of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Missile

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's senior general.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, first announced in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the ability to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader stated that a "final successful test" of the missile had been conducted in the previous year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had moderate achievement since several years ago, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were found to be up to specification, based on a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it displayed high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the commander as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the same year, the nation confronts considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study states the weapon has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike goals in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also explains the missile can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The missile, code-named a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently located a site 475km above the capital as the possible firing point of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from last summer, an expert told the outlet he had identified several deployment sites being built at the facility.

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