Moscow Reports Effective Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the country's senior general.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, first announced in recent years, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to evade defensive systems.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "final successful test" of the missile had been conducted in 2023, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had moderate achievement since several years ago, based on an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the missile was in the atmosphere for 15 hours during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, according to a national news agency.

"Therefore, it demonstrated superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the news agency stated the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would offer Moscow a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the same year, Moscow faces considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the country's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical quoted in the report claims the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the weapon to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to strike goals in the continental US."

The same journal also explains the weapon can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for air defences to intercept.

The weapon, designated Skyfall by a foreign security organization, is considered driven by a atomic power source, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year identified a facility 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Employing space-based photos from last summer, an expert reported to the service he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the site.

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