Moscow Confirms Accomplished Test of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik cruise missile, as stated by the state's leading commander.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Chief of General Staff the general informed President Vladimir Putin in a public appearance.

The low-flying advanced armament, first announced in the past decade, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to evade defensive systems.

International analysts have previously cast doubt over the missile's strategic value and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.

The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the armament had been conducted in the previous year, but the statement could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had limited accomplishment since 2016, according to an arms control campaign group.

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

He noted the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, as per a national news agency.

"Therefore, it demonstrated advanced abilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency reported the commander as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in recent years.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would offer Moscow a singular system with intercontinental range capability."

However, as a foreign policy research organization noted the same year, the nation encounters considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its induction into the state's stockpile potentially relies not only on overcoming the significant development hurdle of ensuring the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," analysts stated.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an incident leading to multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the report asserts the missile has a flight distance of between a substantial span, allowing "the missile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be capable to strike goals in the American territory."

The same journal also says the missile can travel as low as a very low elevation above ground, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.

The weapon, code-named Skyfall by an international defence pact, is thought to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have launched it into the air.

An examination by a media outlet the previous year identified a location 475km from the city as the possible firing point of the armament.

Using orbital photographs from the recent past, an expert told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads under construction at the site.

Associated Updates

• Head of State Endorses Modifications to Strategic Guidelines