Moscow Confirms Successful Evaluation of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it covered a 14,000km distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the general reported to the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in the past decade, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

Western experts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The president said that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The general said the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"Therefore, it demonstrated superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the outlet reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was initially revealed in 2018.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."

However, as a global defence think tank commented the corresponding time, the nation faces major obstacles in developing a functional system.

"Its entry into the nation's arsenal potentially relies not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of securing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an incident causing multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis states the missile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, enabling "the projectile to be stationed across the country and still be capable to strike targets in the United States mainland."

The corresponding source also explains the projectile can travel as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The projectile, code-named Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to activate after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the sky.

An inquiry by a media outlet last year located a location 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the armament.

Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an expert reported to the service he had observed multiple firing positions being built at the location.

Related Developments

• President Authorizes Modifications to Nuclear Doctrine