Russia Reports Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the state's top military official.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-flying advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass defensive systems.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having successfully tested it.

The president said that a "final successful test" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since several years ago, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov said the missile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a national news agency.

"As a result, it exhibited advanced abilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the outlet stated the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in 2018.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with global strike capacity."

However, as a global defence think tank noted the corresponding time, Moscow faces significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the state's arsenal potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists stated.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident leading to several deaths."

A defence publication quoted in the study claims the weapon has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be able to strike objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also says the projectile can fly as close to the ground as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The weapon, code-named Skyfall by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet recently identified a facility a considerable distance from the city as the likely launch site of the weapon.

Employing space-based photos from the recent past, an analyst reported to the outlet he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.

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