Russia Confirms Accomplished Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the state's leading commander.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the general told President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The national leader stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader reported the missile was in the air for a significant duration during the trial on 21 October.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were determined to be complying with standards, according to a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed advanced abilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the commander as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in 2018.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Russia faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the nation's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an accident causing a number of casualties."

A defence publication referenced in the study claims the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, enabling "the weapon to be based across the country and still be equipped to strike goals in the American territory."

The same journal also says the projectile can travel as low as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to engage.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the sky.

An examination by a news agency last year located a site 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert reported to the outlet he had observed nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the location.

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