Russia Announces Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's senior general.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capacity to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader declared that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been carried out in 2023, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader said the missile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the test on 21 October.

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

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

The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a singular system with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the corresponding time, Moscow faces significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the state's inventory potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts stated.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in several deaths."

A defence publication quoted in the analysis asserts the projectile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the projectile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to strike targets in the continental US."

The same journal also explains the projectile can travel as close to the ground as a very low elevation above the earth, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is considered powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a media outlet recently identified a location 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Utilizing space-based photos from last summer, an analyst told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads being built at the site.

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