Moscow Announces Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Cruise Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the commander reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to avoid missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having successfully tested it.

The president stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been carried out in last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader stated the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on October 21.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were found to be meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"As a result, it exhibited high capabilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the outlet quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Moscow encounters considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the state's arsenal likely depends not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the study states the weapon has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the projectile to be based across the country and still be capable to reach targets in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the weapon can fly as low as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a foreign security organization, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have sent it into the air.

An investigation by a news agency the previous year pinpointed a facility 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Employing space-based photos from last summer, an expert informed the agency he had detected several deployment sites under construction at the location.

Associated Updates

• National Leader Approves Modifications to Atomic Policy