Russia Announces Effective Test of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon
Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the state's leading commander.
"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.
The terrain-hugging prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the ability to evade missile defences.
International analysts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.
The national leader declared that a "final successful test" of the missile had been held in last year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an non-proliferation organization.
The military leader reported the weapon was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the test on 21 October.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as meeting requirements, as per a domestic media outlet.
"Consequently, it exhibited advanced abilities to bypass defensive networks," the outlet reported the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the focus of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in 2018.
A previous study by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with global strike capacity."
However, as an international strategic institute noted the corresponding time, the nation faces significant challenges in achieving operational status.
"Its entry into the country's arsenal potentially relies not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts wrote.
"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap leading to multiple fatalities."
A armed forces periodical quoted in the analysis claims the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach goals in the continental US."
The corresponding source also notes the missile can fly as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above ground, rendering it challenging for air defences to engage.
The missile, designated a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is considered driven by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the air.
An investigation by a media outlet recently pinpointed a location 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the weapon.
Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert reported to the service he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.
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