Russia Announces Successful Trial of Atomic-Propelled Storm Petrel Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid missile defences.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in last year, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader reported the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on 21 October.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be up to specification, as per a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

However, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, Moscow faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the nation's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of ensuring the reliable performance of the atomic power system," specialists stated.

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

A defence publication referenced in the study states the weapon has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the missile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike objectives in the continental US."

The same journal also explains the projectile can travel as low as a very low elevation above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to stop.

The missile, referred to as Skyfall by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a atomic power source, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the sky.

An investigation by a reporting service recently pinpointed a site 475km above the capital as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from last summer, an specialist told the service he had detected several deployment sites under construction at the location.

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