Russia Confirms Effective Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the nation's top military official.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the general reported to President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid anti-missile technology.

Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been held in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the missile was in the sky for 15 hours during the evaluation on 21 October.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated superior performance to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the identical period, Russia faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the state's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study asserts the projectile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, enabling "the weapon to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach targets in the United States mainland."

The same journal also says the missile can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The missile, referred to as an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An inquiry by a media outlet last year pinpointed a location 295 miles north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using space-based photos from August 2024, an analyst told the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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