Russia Announces Successful Test of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Weapon

The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the country's senior general.

"We have launched a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the general informed the Russian leader in a public appearance.

The low-altitude advanced armament, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to avoid anti-missile technology.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the missile had been held 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 the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the air for 15 hours during the trial on the specified date.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were determined to be up to specification, as per a national news agency.

"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to circumvent defensive networks," the outlet quoted the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was first announced in 2018.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

However, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, Moscow encounters major obstacles in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the country's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," experts noted.

"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident causing a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical cited in the analysis asserts the missile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be able to strike targets in the continental US."

The identical publication also notes the projectile can travel as low as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, referred to as an operational name by a Western alliance, is considered powered by a reactor system, which is intended to activate after initial propulsion units have sent it into the sky.

An examination by a reporting service recently located a location 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Employing space-based photos from August 2024, an expert reported to the outlet he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the facility.

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