Russia Confirms Successful Trial of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's top military official.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, initially revealed in recent years, has been portrayed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to evade missile defences.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state declared that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been carried out in 2023, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, only two had partial success since several years ago, according to an arms control campaign group.

The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on 21 October.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it displayed high capabilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source quoted the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit concluded: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a global defence think tank observed the same year, Moscow encounters significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the state's inventory likely depends not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts stated.

"There were multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident resulting in a number of casualties."

A military journal cited in the study states the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, permitting "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be able to reach goals in the continental US."

The same journal also says the missile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, referred to as Skyfall by an international defence pact, is considered driven by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An examination by a reporting service last year located a facility 295 miles from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using space-based photos from August 2024, an expert informed the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions in development at the location.

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