Russia Confirms Effective Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the country's leading commander.
"We have conducted a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov told the head of state in a broadcast conference.
The terrain-hugging advanced armament, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to avoid defensive systems.
Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.
The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been held in 2023, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, as per an disarmament advocacy body.
Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the evaluation on 21 October.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be complying with standards, based on a domestic media outlet.
"As a result, it exhibited high capabilities to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet reported the general as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a unique weapon with global strike capacity."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the same year, Moscow faces considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.
"Its integration into the state's arsenal potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of ensuring the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," specialists stated.
"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap causing multiple fatalities."
A military journal cited in the study states the weapon has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the weapon to be based anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach targets in the continental US."
The corresponding source also explains the weapon can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to stop.
The projectile, referred to as an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.
An investigation by a media outlet last year located a facility 295 miles north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the weapon.
Using orbital photographs from the recent past, an analyst told the service he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the facility.
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