Russia Confirms Effective Trial of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the country's top military official.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to evade anti-missile technology.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been carried out in 2023, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had partial success since several years ago, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The general stated the missile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on the specified date.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as complying with standards, as per a national news agency.

"Consequently, it demonstrated high capabilities to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Yet, as an international strategic institute observed the corresponding time, Moscow encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the state's stockpile potentially relies not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," specialists stated.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical cited in the analysis asserts the weapon has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be capable to reach objectives in the American territory."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can operate as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, designated a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is considered powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a news agency last year located a facility 475km above the capital as the likely launch site of the weapon.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst reported to the outlet he had observed several deployment sites being built at the location.

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