Moscow Reports Effective Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the nation's senior general.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.

The low-flying prototype missile, initially revealed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to avoid missile defences.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader declared that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been held in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, just two instances had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the trial on the specified date.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be complying with standards, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it demonstrated advanced abilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the media source reported the commander as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of intense debate in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization noted the corresponding time, the nation faces considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its integration into the nation's stockpile likely depends not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the atomic power system," experts stated.

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

A defence publication quoted in the analysis states the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the weapon to be stationed anywhere in Russia and still be able to target goals in the American territory."

The same journal also notes the missile can fly as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, referred to as Skyfall by a foreign security organization, is thought to be propelled by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after initial propulsion units have launched it into the sky.

An examination by a media outlet recently located a facility a considerable distance north of Moscow as the possible firing point of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from last summer, an analyst reported to the outlet he had identified several deployment sites in development at the site.

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