Moscow Announces Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's top military official.

"We have executed a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, initially revealed in 2018, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to evade missile defences.

Foreign specialists have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having successfully tested it.

The president stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in last year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had partial success since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader said the missile was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the trial on 21 October.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency reported the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in the past decade.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization noted the corresponding time, the nation encounters considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the nation's inventory arguably hinges not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts noted.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an incident leading to multiple fatalities."

A military journal cited in the analysis states the projectile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be based throughout the nation and still be able to reach goals in the American territory."

The corresponding source also says the weapon can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The missile, designated a specific moniker by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a news agency the previous year located a facility 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Employing space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist reported to the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions under construction at the location.

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