Moscow Reports Accomplished Trial of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's top military official.
"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff the commander informed the head of state in a public appearance.
The low-altitude experimental weapon, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade missile defences.
Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.
The head of state stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in the previous year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since several years ago, based on an non-proliferation organization.
Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the evaluation on 21 October.
He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were found to be up to specification, as per a national news agency.
"As a result, it displayed superior performance to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source quoted the official as saying.
The missile's utility has been the topic of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in the past decade.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."
However, as a foreign policy research organization observed the identical period, the nation encounters significant challenges in achieving operational status.
"Its induction into the country's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts stated.
"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to a number of casualties."
A defence publication cited in the analysis states the missile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be able to reach objectives in the American territory."
The identical publication also explains the projectile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to stop.
The weapon, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.
An inquiry by a news agency recently located a site 475km above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.
Using orbital photographs from the recent past, an analyst informed the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions being built at the location.
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