Moscow Confirms Successful Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the commander told the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to avoid missile defences.

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

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been held in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

The military leader said the missile was in the air for 15 hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were found to be meeting requirements, as per a domestic media outlet.

"As a result, it demonstrated advanced abilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source stated the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization observed the identical period, Moscow faces considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the nation's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists wrote.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and a mishap resulting in a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the report asserts the projectile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the weapon to be based across the country and still be capable to reach objectives in the continental US."

The corresponding source also notes the projectile can fly as at minimal altitude as a very low elevation above the earth, causing complexity for defensive networks to stop.

The projectile, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is considered powered by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year pinpointed a location a considerable distance north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the armament.

Employing space-based photos from August 2024, an analyst reported to the agency he had identified several deployment sites in development at the site.

Connected News

• National Leader Approves Modifications to Nuclear Doctrine