Moscow Confirms Successful Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the country's leading commander.

"We have executed a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to avoid anti-missile technology.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the armament had been held in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

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

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it displayed advanced abilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the outlet stated the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a singular system with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Russia faces considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the country's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," experts stated.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A defence publication quoted in the study asserts the projectile has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the weapon to be stationed across the country and still be able to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The same journal also says the missile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The weapon, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the sky.

An investigation by a news agency last year identified a facility 295 miles above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst told the agency he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the facility.

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