Russia Reports Effective Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Russia has tested the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the country's leading commander.

"We have executed a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff the general told the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-altitude prototype missile, first announced in 2018, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to evade missile defences.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been held in the previous year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the weapon was in the air for 15 hours during the evaluation on the specified date.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it displayed high capabilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the media source quoted the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization noted the same year, Moscow confronts significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its entry into the country's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts stated.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap causing a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study claims the missile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the weapon to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike targets in the American territory."

The corresponding source also explains the missile can operate as low as a very low elevation above the surface, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The missile, code-named a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a reporting service the previous year identified a location 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the armament.

Employing orbital photographs from the recent past, an specialist reported to the service he had observed several deployment sites in development at the site.

Connected News

• Head of State Endorses Amendments to Strategic Guidelines