Moscow Confirms Successful Trial of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Weapon

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the country's top military official.

"We have conducted a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the general told the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to bypass defensive systems.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been held in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had partial success since several years ago, based on an arms control campaign group.

The general said the weapon was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on the specified date.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be up to specification, as per a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to evade defensive networks," the outlet stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

However, as an international strategic institute commented the same year, the nation faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

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

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study states the projectile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to strike targets in the continental US."

The corresponding source also explains the projectile can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.

The weapon, designated Skyfall by a foreign security organization, is considered powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet last year identified a facility 475km above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Using space-based photos from the recent past, an analyst told the outlet he had detected multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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