Moscow Confirms Effective Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the nation's top military official.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the general told President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to evade missile defences.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader declared that a "final successful test" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it exhibited advanced abilities to bypass defensive networks," the news agency reported the commander as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would give Russia a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the corresponding time, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the nation's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," experts noted.

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

A defence publication referenced in the analysis states the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach goals in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also notes the missile can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above ground, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The projectile, code-named Skyfall by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to engage after initial propulsion units have launched it into the sky.

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

Utilizing space-based photos from last summer, an analyst informed the agency he had observed several deployment sites in development at the site.

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