Russia Confirms Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's senior general.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the commander reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, originally disclosed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to bypass missile defences.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since 2016, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader reported the weapon was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on October 21.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a national news agency.

"Therefore, it demonstrated advanced abilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute commented the identical period, the nation encounters major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the state's stockpile arguably hinges not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts stated.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A military journal quoted in the study claims the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be equipped to reach targets in the continental US."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The missile, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a reporting service the previous year located a site a considerable distance north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the armament.

Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst informed the outlet he had detected nine horizontal launch pads being built at the facility.

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