Moscow Reports Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the country's top military official.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the commander reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, initially revealed in the past decade, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to evade missile defences.

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

The president stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had moderate achievement since several years ago, based on an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the evaluation on October 21.

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

"Therefore, it displayed superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the outlet quoted the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a foreign policy research organization observed the same year, the nation faces major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the state's stockpile potentially relies not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts noted.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an incident causing multiple fatalities."

A military journal quoted in the analysis claims the weapon has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the projectile to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach goals in the continental US."

The same journal also notes the weapon can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for aerial protection systems to engage.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be propelled by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a reporting service recently identified a location 475km north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the armament.

Utilizing satellite imagery from the recent past, an expert reported to the agency he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the site.

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