Russia Reports Accomplished Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Cruise Missile
Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's leading commander.
"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the general told the head of state in a broadcast conference.
The low-altitude experimental weapon, originally disclosed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.
Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.
The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had moderate achievement since several years ago, according to an arms control campaign group.
Gen Gerasimov stated the projectile was in the air for 15 hours during the test on the specified date.
He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were determined to be up to specification, based on a local reporting service.
"As a result, it exhibited advanced abilities to bypass defensive networks," the media source quoted the official as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in the past decade.
A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."
However, as a global defence think tank observed the same year, Russia confronts significant challenges in developing a functional system.
"Its entry into the nation's stockpile arguably hinges not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts wrote.
"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an accident leading to a number of casualties."
A military journal quoted in the report states the missile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, permitting "the projectile to be stationed across the country and still be able to strike objectives in the continental US."
The corresponding source also says the projectile can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to stop.
The missile, referred to as Skyfall by a Western alliance, is thought to be driven by a reactor system, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.
An investigation by a news agency last year located a location 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the armament.
Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst told the outlet he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the location.
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