Russia Reports Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the state's senior general.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader the general reported to the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been described as having a possible global reach and the ability to evade anti-missile technology.

International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been held in last year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had partial success since 2016, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov stated the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be meeting requirements, as per a national news agency.

"Therefore, it displayed high capabilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.

A previous study by a American military analysis unit stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would offer Moscow a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Yet, as an international strategic institute noted the corresponding time, the nation faces significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the country's inventory potentially relies not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of ensuring the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists wrote.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap resulting in a number of casualties."

A armed forces periodical cited in the study asserts the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, allowing "the projectile to be based throughout the nation and still be capable to reach objectives in the continental US."

The same journal also says the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the earth, rendering it challenging for aerial protection systems to stop.

The projectile, code-named an operational name by a foreign security organization, is believed to be propelled by a reactor system, which is designed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An investigation by a media outlet last year pinpointed a site a considerable distance above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Using satellite imagery from last summer, an specialist told the service he had detected multiple firing positions being built at the site.

Related Developments

• Head of State Endorses Revisions to Strategic Guidelines