Moscow Announces Effective Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

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

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude advanced armament, originally disclosed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been conducted in last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had moderate achievement since 2016, according to an arms control campaign group.

The general reported the missile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on 21 October.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it displayed advanced abilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.

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

However, as a foreign policy research organization commented the same year, Moscow faces major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the state's inventory likely depends not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists wrote.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap resulting in multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the report states the missile has a flight distance of between a substantial span, enabling "the projectile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be capable to reach goals in the American territory."

The corresponding source also notes the weapon can travel as low as a very low elevation above ground, causing complexity for defensive networks to intercept.

The weapon, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the sky.

An investigation by a reporting service last year identified a facility 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the missile.

Employing space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist reported to the agency he had detected nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

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