Moscow Confirms Successful Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's senior general.

"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the commander informed the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-flying prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The president declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been carried out in the previous year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had partial success since several years ago, based on an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov stated the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the evaluation on the specified date.

He explained the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to evade missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the general as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a global defence think tank commented the corresponding time, the nation faces considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the country's arsenal arguably hinges not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of ensuring the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There occurred several flawed evaluations, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study asserts the missile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the missile to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to reach objectives in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also explains the missile can operate as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to stop.

The projectile, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a news agency the previous year pinpointed a site a considerable distance from the city as the probable deployment area of the weapon.

Employing orbital photographs from the recent past, an specialist reported to the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the facility.

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