Moscow Reports Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the nation's senior general.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to avoid anti-missile technology.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the evaluation on 21 October.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were confirmed as up to specification, based on a local reporting service.

"As a result, it exhibited superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the news agency quoted the general as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the identical period, Moscow faces considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the consistent operation 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 report states the weapon has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the weapon to be based across the country and still be capable to reach objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the projectile can operate as low as a very low elevation above ground, rendering it challenging for air defences to engage.

The missile, referred to as Skyfall by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet last year pinpointed a facility 475km north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Using space-based photos from last summer, an expert told the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions in development at the location.

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