Russia Confirms Effective Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander told the head of state in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to avoid missile defences.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the missile had been conducted in last year, but the assertion lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since 2016, as per an non-proliferation organization.

The general stated the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the evaluation on the specified date.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a national news agency.

"Consequently, it demonstrated advanced abilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source stated the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

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

"Its induction into the nation's stockpile arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing several deaths."

A defence publication cited in the study claims the missile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be able to strike targets in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the missile can travel as low as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to intercept.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by an international defence pact, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after initial propulsion units have launched it into the air.

An investigation by a reporting service recently pinpointed a facility 295 miles above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an analyst told the outlet he had identified several deployment sites in development at the facility.

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