Russia Announces Effective Trial of Reactor-Driven Storm Petrel Cruise Missile
The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's top military official.
"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the commander reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.
The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to evade defensive systems.
Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.
The president stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been carried out in the previous year, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had moderate achievement since several years ago, based on an disarmament advocacy body.
The general stated the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the evaluation on 21 October.
He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.
"As a result, it demonstrated high capabilities to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet stated the general as saying.
The projectile's application has been the subject of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in 2018.
A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."
Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the same year, Moscow faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.
"Its integration into the nation's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists noted.
"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an accident leading to several deaths."
A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis claims the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, enabling "the missile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach goals in the American territory."
The identical publication also notes the weapon can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, making it difficult for defensive networks to engage.
The missile, referred to as an operational name by a foreign security organization, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.
An investigation by a media outlet last year located a site a considerable distance north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the armament.
Using satellite imagery from the recent past, an specialist told the service he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the facility.
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