Russia Announces Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the country's top military official.

"We have executed a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude experimental weapon, first announced in recent years, has been portrayed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to evade missile defences.

Western experts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the missile had been held in the previous year, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since the mid-2010s, as per an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov reported the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on October 21.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were assessed and were determined to be up to specification, based on a national news agency.

"Consequently, it demonstrated superior performance to evade missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was originally disclosed in the past decade.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with worldwide reach potential."

Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization commented the corresponding time, the nation encounters significant challenges in achieving operational status.

"Its induction into the country's stockpile arguably hinges not only on resolving the substantial engineering obstacle of securing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," analysts wrote.

"There have been several flawed evaluations, and an incident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A military journal cited in the report asserts the missile has a operational radius of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, enabling "the missile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be equipped to target targets in the continental US."

The identical publication also explains the weapon can operate as at minimal altitude as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, rendering it challenging for air defences to engage.

The projectile, code-named a specific moniker by a foreign security organization, is believed to be driven by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have sent it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a media outlet the previous year identified a location 295 miles above the capital as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an expert reported to the service he had detected nine horizontal launch pads being built at the location.

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