Russia Reports Successful Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the nation's leading commander.

"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-flying experimental weapon, first announced in recent years, has been described as having a possible global reach and the capability to avoid defensive systems.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been conducted in 2023, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had partial success since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

The military leader said the projectile was in the sky for a significant duration during the evaluation on the specified date.

He said the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were confirmed as up to specification, according to a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed advanced abilities to bypass missile and air defence systems," the news agency stated the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the focus of heated controversy in military and defence circles since it was first announced in recent years.

A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a global defence think tank observed the identical period, Russia confronts significant challenges in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the state's stockpile likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists stated.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an incident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A armed forces periodical referenced in the analysis states the projectile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, permitting "the weapon to be stationed throughout the nation and still be equipped to strike objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also notes the weapon can operate as close to the ground as 164 to 328 feet above ground, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to intercept.

The missile, code-named an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be driven by a reactor system, which is intended to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a news agency recently located a site 475km north of Moscow as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist informed the outlet he had observed several deployment sites being built at the site.

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