Moscow Confirms Successful Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's top military official.

"We have executed a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, as per an non-proliferation organization.

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

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were found to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

"As a result, it displayed superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the outlet reported the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the identical period, Russia faces significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts noted.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A defence publication referenced in the study asserts the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the projectile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach objectives in the American territory."

The identical publication also notes the missile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to engage.

The weapon, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a media outlet recently identified a site 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Utilizing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist informed the service he had identified multiple firing positions under construction at the location.

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