Russia Announces Successful Test of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the country's senior general.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the commander informed the head of state in a televised meeting.

The low-flying advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to avoid missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism 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 armament had been conducted in last year, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader said the projectile was in the air for a significant duration during the evaluation on the specified date.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be complying with standards, as per a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

However, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, Moscow faces significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the country's arsenal likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts noted.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and a mishap causing a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the report asserts the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be based across the country and still be able to reach goals in the American territory."

The identical publication also explains the missile can fly as low as 50 to 100 metres above ground, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to engage.

The weapon, code-named an operational name by a foreign security organization, is considered powered by a reactor system, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet recently located a facility 295 miles north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist reported to the agency he had observed nine horizontal launch pads being built at the facility.

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