Russia Confirms Accomplished Test of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the country's leading commander.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the commander reported to President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to evade anti-missile technology.

Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

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

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source quoted the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in the past decade.

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

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the corresponding time, Moscow encounters significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

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

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."

A defence publication referenced in the report states the projectile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, enabling "the projectile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also says the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to engage.

The weapon, code-named an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a reporting service the previous year pinpointed a facility a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the armament.

Utilizing space-based photos from last summer, an expert told the service he had observed nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

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