Moscow Announces Accomplished Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the state's senior general.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the general reported to the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, originally disclosed in 2018, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade defensive systems.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been carried out in the previous year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, based on an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the trial on October 21.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, based on a national news agency.

"Consequently, it demonstrated advanced abilities to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet quoted the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as an international strategic institute commented the corresponding time, the nation confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the nation's arsenal potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts stated.

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

A defence publication quoted in the study claims the missile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to target objectives in the American territory."

The corresponding source also explains the projectile can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, designated an operational name by a foreign security organization, is considered driven by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to engage after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the sky.

An inquiry by a news agency last year identified a location 475km north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Employing orbital photographs from the recent past, an analyst told the service he had observed multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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