Russia Announces Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's senior general.

"We have executed a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the general reported to President Vladimir Putin in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, originally disclosed in 2018, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The president stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since several years ago, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the projectile was in the air for fifteen hours during the trial on the specified date.

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were assessed and were found to be meeting requirements, as per a local reporting service.

"As a result, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in the past decade.

A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

However, as a global defence think tank commented the identical period, Russia faces considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the nation's arsenal arguably hinges not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of ensuring the consistent operation of the atomic power system," analysts noted.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident causing several deaths."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the report states the missile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to target objectives in the continental US."

The same journal also explains the weapon can fly as close to the ground as a very low elevation above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is considered propelled by a reactor system, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a media outlet last year pinpointed a location 475km above the capital as the likely launch site of the weapon.

Utilizing space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist reported to the service he had identified multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.

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