Moscow Reports Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's senior general.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it covered a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging experimental weapon, initially revealed in recent years, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to evade anti-missile technology.

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

The president said that a "final successful test" of the missile had been held in the previous year, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, based on an arms control campaign group.

The general stated the missile was in the air for fifteen hours during the evaluation on the specified date.

He noted the projectile's ascent and directional control were tested and were found to be up to specification, based on a national news agency.

"As a result, it exhibited superior performance to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency quoted the general as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the topic of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was initially revealed in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the identical period, the nation encounters significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the country's stockpile likely depends not only on surmounting the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the dependable functioning of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists stated.

"There were numerous flight-test failures, and an incident causing multiple fatalities."

A military journal quoted in the analysis claims the weapon has a range of between a substantial span, enabling "the missile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to strike targets in the United States mainland."

The same journal also explains the projectile can fly as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to engage.

The missile, designated an operational name by an international defence pact, is believed to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after initial propulsion units have launched it into the sky.

An inquiry by a media outlet last year identified a location 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.

Utilizing space-based photos from August 2024, an expert told the outlet he had observed nine horizontal launch pads in development at the location.

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