Russia Confirms Successful Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the state's senior general.

"We have executed a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to bypass defensive systems.

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

The president declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.

The general said the missile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on October 21.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were found to be complying with standards, based on a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it displayed superior performance to evade defensive networks," the outlet stated the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Yet, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, the nation confronts considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts stated.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study claims the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the weapon can fly as low as a very low elevation above ground, making it difficult for air defences to engage.

The weapon, referred to as a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is considered powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to activate after initial propulsion units have launched it into the air.

An investigation by a media outlet last year located a facility a considerable distance above the capital as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Using space-based photos from last summer, an expert told the service he had detected several deployment sites being built at the site.

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