Moscow Confirms Effective Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile
Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the nation's senior general.
"We have conducted a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.
The low-altitude prototype missile, first announced in recent years, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the ability to avoid anti-missile technology.
Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.
The national leader stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.
The general reported the weapon was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the evaluation on October 21.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were found to be meeting requirements, according to a domestic media outlet.
"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet quoted the commander as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in 2018.
A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a singular system with global strike capacity."
Yet, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Moscow confronts significant challenges in achieving operational status.
"Its integration into the state's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.
"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to several deaths."
A defence publication referenced in the analysis claims the missile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the projectile to be based throughout the nation and still be capable to strike objectives in the United States mainland."
The corresponding source also notes the projectile can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for defensive networks to stop.
The weapon, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.
An inquiry by a news agency recently identified a facility 475km north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.
Utilizing orbital photographs from August 2024, an expert told the service he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the location.
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