Russia Confirms Effective Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Cruise Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the country's top military official.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the general told President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, initially revealed in the past decade, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to avoid defensive systems.

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

The president declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been carried out in the previous year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had partial success since 2016, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the weapon was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the trial on October 21.

He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were found to be up to specification, according to a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the media source quoted the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

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

Yet, as a global defence think tank observed the same year, the nation faces significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the state's inventory likely depends not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists noted.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident leading to multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis asserts the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be capable to reach objectives in the American territory."

The corresponding source also says the missile can operate as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to stop.

The projectile, referred to as an operational name by a foreign security organization, is thought to be powered by a reactor system, which is supposed to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year identified a location a considerable distance north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the armament.

Employing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist informed the service he had observed several deployment sites in development at the facility.

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