Russia Confirms Successful Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile
Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the state's senior general.
"We have executed a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a vast distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff the commander reported to the Russian leader in a public appearance.
The low-flying prototype missile, originally disclosed in 2018, has been portrayed as having a possible global reach and the capability to evade anti-missile technology.
Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having accomplished its evaluation.
The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the weapon had been conducted in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had partial success since the mid-2010s, according to an disarmament advocacy body.
The general said the weapon was in the air for fifteen hours during the test on 21 October.
He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were determined to be complying with standards, as per a domestic media outlet.
"Therefore, it displayed superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the commander as saying.
The projectile's application has been the topic of vigorous discussion in military and defence circles since it was first announced in 2018.
A 2021 report by a American military analysis unit stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a unique weapon with intercontinental range capability."
Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute noted the same year, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in achieving operational status.
"Its integration into the state's arsenal likely depends not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the dependable functioning of the atomic power system," experts noted.
"There were numerous flight-test failures, and a mishap causing several deaths."
A defence publication referenced in the analysis claims the missile has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the projectile to be stationed throughout the nation and still be capable to target objectives in the American territory."
The corresponding source also says the weapon can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, making it difficult for defensive networks to stop.
The weapon, designated Skyfall by a Western alliance, is believed to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to commence operation after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the sky.
An examination by a reporting service the previous year identified a location 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the weapon.
Employing satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist informed the outlet he had detected multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.
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