Russia Confirms Accomplished Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the state's senior general.

"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it covered a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official the commander informed President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude advanced armament, first announced in the past decade, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the capacity to avoid missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had partial success since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

The military leader reported the projectile was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, based on a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it displayed high capabilities to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the media source stated the commander as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in recent years.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the corresponding time, Russia confronts significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the country's arsenal likely depends not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study asserts the weapon has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be deployed across the country and still be equipped to strike objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the missile can operate as low as a very low elevation above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to engage.

The missile, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a news agency the previous year pinpointed a site a considerable distance north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Utilizing space-based photos from August 2024, an analyst reported to the outlet he had identified several deployment sites being built at the location.

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