Russia Reports Effective Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the nation's senior general.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capacity to bypass anti-missile technology.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The president said that a "final successful test" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The military leader stated the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on 21 October.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were determined to be complying with standards, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to bypass missile and air defence systems," the outlet stated the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in 2018.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Yet, as a global defence think tank commented the same year, Russia confronts significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the country's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," specialists stated.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an incident resulting in a number of casualties."

A defence publication referenced in the study states the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, allowing "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach goals in the continental US."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can operate as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, making it difficult for air defences to stop.

The projectile, code-named Skyfall by a Western alliance, is thought to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the air.

An inquiry by a reporting service the previous year identified a site 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Employing orbital photographs from August 2024, an specialist reported to the service he had identified nine horizontal launch pads being built at the location.

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