Moscow Announces Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile
Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's top military official.
"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the general reported to President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.
The low-flying experimental weapon, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to bypass anti-missile technology.
Western experts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having successfully tested it.
The national leader said that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an non-proliferation organization.
Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the air for a significant duration during the evaluation on October 21.
He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a local reporting service.
"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to evade defensive networks," the news agency quoted the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in 2018.
A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."
However, as a foreign policy research organization noted the identical period, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.
"Its induction into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts wrote.
"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an incident causing several deaths."
A armed forces periodical referenced in the study claims the weapon has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the projectile to be based throughout the nation and still be capable to reach targets in the American territory."
The corresponding source also says the missile can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to engage.
The weapon, designated Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the sky.
An inquiry by a media outlet recently pinpointed a location 475km from the city as the likely launch site of the missile.
Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist told the service he had detected several deployment sites in development at the site.
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