Russia Confirms Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the state's senior general.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying advanced armament, initially revealed in recent years, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass missile defences.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been carried out in the previous year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the missile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the trial on the specified date.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it displayed advanced abilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the official as saying.

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

A previous study by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a foreign policy research organization commented the same year, the nation faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the state's inventory likely depends not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," experts stated.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident leading to multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the report asserts the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be able to reach goals in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the weapon can travel as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to engage.

The projectile, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a news agency last year identified a location a considerable distance from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Using space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist told the outlet he had detected multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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