Moscow Confirms Successful Trial of Nuclear-Powered Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the country's leading commander.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official the general informed President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The president stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

The general stated the projectile was in the air for a significant duration during the test on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated advanced abilities to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source quoted the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in 2018.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank observed the identical period, Moscow encounters major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the country's stockpile arguably hinges not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts noted.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap leading to multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the study asserts the missile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the projectile to be deployed across the country and still be able to strike goals in the continental US."

The same journal also notes the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The weapon, referred to as an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the sky.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently located a site a considerable distance north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the weapon.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert reported to the outlet he had detected nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.

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