Russia Confirms Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the state's leading commander.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to avoid missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The president said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been held in last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the air for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were confirmed as complying with standards, according to a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass defensive networks," the media source quoted the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the same year, the nation confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the country's stockpile potentially relies not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

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

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis asserts the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to reach targets in the American territory."

The identical publication also says the missile can travel as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to stop.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a foreign security organization, is thought to be propelled by a reactor system, which is intended to activate after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a reporting service the previous year pinpointed a site 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from the recent past, an expert reported to the outlet he had identified several deployment sites being built at the facility.

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