Moscow Confirms Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to avoid missile defences.

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

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had partial success since 2016, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader stated the projectile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the trial on 21 October.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were determined to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

"As a result, it demonstrated superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the outlet quoted the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in 2018.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute noted the identical period, Russia confronts considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the country's arsenal arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists noted.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A military journal cited in the study asserts the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be able to strike objectives in the continental US."

The corresponding source also notes the weapon can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered powered by a reactor system, which is designed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.

An inquiry by a news agency recently located a facility a considerable distance north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Utilizing orbital photographs from the recent past, an analyst told the service he had identified several deployment sites being built at the facility.

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