Moscow Reports Effective Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the nation's senior general.

"We have launched a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the general reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the air for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be complying with standards, according to a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it demonstrated advanced abilities to evade defensive networks," the outlet stated the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in 2018.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, the nation encounters significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the country's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists stated.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in several deaths."

A defence publication cited in the report asserts the projectile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be based across the country and still be capable to strike goals in the American territory."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can operate as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.

The projectile, code-named a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the sky.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently identified a facility 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst informed the service he had observed several deployment sites in development at the facility.

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