Russia Confirms Successful Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the country's senior general.

"We have launched a extended flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, first announced in the past decade, has been described as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass missile defences.

International analysts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state said that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since 2016, based on an non-proliferation organization.

Gen Gerasimov said the missile was in the air for 15 hours during the evaluation on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a national news agency.

"Therefore, it exhibited high capabilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the outlet reported the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in 2018.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a global defence think tank commented the identical period, Moscow faces considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the state's arsenal potentially relies not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," specialists stated.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the study claims the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach objectives in the continental US."

The identical publication also says the projectile can operate as low as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, causing complexity for defensive networks to stop.

The missile, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be driven by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a news agency last year pinpointed a site 295 miles from the city as the likely launch site of the missile.

Using orbital photographs from August 2024, an expert informed the service he had identified several deployment sites under construction at the facility.

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