Moscow Reports Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, first announced in recent years, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the ability to evade defensive systems.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had limited accomplishment since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov stated the missile was in the air for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be complying with standards, as per a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to evade defensive networks," the outlet stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in 2018.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization commented the corresponding time, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its entry into the country's arsenal arguably hinges not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," experts noted.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an incident causing several deaths."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis states the missile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, enabling "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be capable to strike targets in the United States mainland."

The same journal also says the missile can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The weapon, designated Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered driven by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet recently pinpointed a site 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.

Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst informed the service he had observed several deployment sites in development at the site.

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