Moscow Reports Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Missile

Russia has tested the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a extended flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the maximum," Senior Military Leader the commander reported to the head of state in a public appearance.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a potentially unlimited range and the ability to bypass anti-missile technology.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in 2023, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, just two instances had partial success since several years ago, as per an disarmament advocacy body.

The military leader reported the weapon was in the air for a significant duration during the evaluation on 21 October.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were determined to be meeting requirements, based on a domestic media outlet.

"Consequently, it displayed advanced abilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency quoted the commander as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in recent years.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Yet, as a global defence think tank noted the same year, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the nation's inventory arguably hinges not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts noted.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an accident leading to several deaths."

A military journal cited in the analysis claims the weapon has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, permitting "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to target targets in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also explains the projectile can operate as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for air defences to engage.

The missile, referred to as a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is believed to be driven by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to activate after initial propulsion units have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a media outlet last year pinpointed a location 295 miles above the capital as the possible firing point of the weapon.

Employing space-based photos from last summer, an specialist told the outlet he had detected multiple firing positions being built at the site.

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