Russia Confirms Effective Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the country's top military official.
"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.
The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to evade defensive systems.
Western experts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.
The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had partial success since several years ago, based on an non-proliferation organization.
The general said the missile was in the air for a significant duration during the test on October 21.
He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were determined to be meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.
"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet quoted the general as saying.
The projectile's application has been the focus of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in 2018.
A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, the nation encounters major obstacles in developing a functional system.
"Its entry into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of securing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," specialists wrote.
"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident leading to several deaths."
A armed forces periodical cited in the analysis claims the weapon has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be based across the country and still be equipped to reach objectives in the continental US."
The same journal also explains the missile can operate as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.
The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.
An examination by a news agency the previous year located a location 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the weapon.
Employing satellite imagery from last summer, an specialist informed the outlet he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the facility.
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