Russia Confirms Accomplished Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a public appearance.

The low-flying advanced armament, first announced in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass defensive systems.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The national leader said that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in the previous year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The general reported the missile was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the trial on the specified date.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a national news agency.

"As a result, it demonstrated superior performance to evade defensive networks," the news agency quoted the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank noted the identical period, Russia encounters major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the nation's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of securing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in several deaths."

A military journal quoted in the analysis asserts the missile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be deployed across the country and still be equipped to target targets in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can operate as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a foreign security organization, is thought to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a news agency last year pinpointed a facility a considerable distance above the capital as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Utilizing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist reported to the service he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the site.

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