Russia Reports Accomplished Evaluation of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as reported by the country's leading commander.

"We have launched a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the commander informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying prototype missile, first announced in the past decade, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to evade defensive systems.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The president declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had partial success since several years ago, according to an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov said the projectile was in the air for 15 hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were found to be meeting requirements, based on a local reporting service.

"As a result, it demonstrated advanced abilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

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

"Its entry into the nation's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident causing a number of casualties."

A military journal cited in the report claims the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be based throughout the nation and still be able to target objectives in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also notes the weapon can operate as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, designated a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a media outlet recently located a location a considerable distance north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using space-based photos from the recent past, an expert reported to the agency he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the site.

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