Moscow Reports Effective Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile
Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's senior general.
"We have executed a multi-hour flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.
The low-altitude prototype missile, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to evade missile defences.
International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and the nation's statements of having successfully tested it.
The national leader said that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been conducted in 2023, but the claim lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.
The general said the projectile was in the sky for fifteen hours during the test on the specified date.
He said the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, according to a national news agency.
"Therefore, it displayed advanced abilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the official as saying.
The weapon's usefulness has been the focus of vigorous discussion in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.
A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a singular system with worldwide reach potential."
Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank commented the same year, Russia faces considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.
"Its integration into the country's arsenal arguably hinges not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of securing the reliable performance of the atomic power system," experts noted.
"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident leading to a number of casualties."
A armed forces periodical referenced in the report asserts the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, enabling "the weapon to be based anywhere in Russia and still be equipped to reach objectives in the American territory."
The identical publication also says the projectile can operate as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, making it difficult for air defences to stop.
The weapon, referred to as a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is supposed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the atmosphere.
An examination by a media outlet the previous year located a facility 475km above the capital as the probable deployment area of the missile.
Using space-based photos from August 2024, an expert told the outlet he had detected nine horizontal launch pads being built at the location.
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