Russia Announces Accomplished Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the country's leading commander.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov said the missile was in the air for fifteen hours during the evaluation on 21 October.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it demonstrated superior performance to evade defensive networks," the media source reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Russia confronts significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the nation's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts noted.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap resulting in a number of casualties."

A defence publication quoted in the report asserts the weapon has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be capable to target targets in the American territory."

The corresponding source also explains the missile can operate as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The missile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a reporting service last year identified a site 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from the recent past, an expert told the agency he had detected multiple firing positions being built at the facility.

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