Russia Confirms Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander informed President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader said that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an arms control campaign group.

The military leader stated the weapon was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, as per a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it displayed high capabilities to bypass defensive networks," the outlet stated the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the same year, the nation encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," specialists wrote.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident leading to several deaths."

A defence publication referenced in the analysis states the projectile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also says the missile can operate as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, causing complexity for defensive networks to engage.

The weapon, designated a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the air.

An investigation by a media outlet recently located a facility 475km north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the missile.

Employing satellite imagery from last summer, an expert reported to the agency he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.

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