Moscow Reports Accomplished Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon

Moscow has trialed the nuclear-powered Burevestnik long-range missile, as stated by the nation's top military official.

"We have launched a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov told the head of state in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging prototype missile, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capability to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.

The president declared that a "final successful test" of the armament had been carried out in 2023, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had moderate achievement since 2016, based on an arms control campaign group.

The military leader stated the projectile was in the sky for 15 hours during the test on the specified date.

He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were evaluated and were determined to be meeting requirements, as per a national news agency.

"As a result, it displayed advanced abilities to circumvent missile and air defence systems," the news agency quoted the official as saying.

The missile's utility has been the topic of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in 2018.

A previous study by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "An atomic-propelled strategic weapon would provide the nation a unique weapon with global strike capacity."

Nonetheless, as an international strategic institute observed the corresponding time, the nation faces significant challenges in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the state's stockpile likely depends not only on overcoming the considerable technical challenge of securing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There occurred multiple unsuccessful trials, and an incident resulting in several deaths."

A armed forces periodical cited in the analysis claims the weapon has a flight distance of between a substantial span, enabling "the weapon to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be capable to target goals in the American territory."

The corresponding source also says the missile can fly as at minimal altitude as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to stop.

The missile, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is believed to be powered by a reactor system, which is intended to activate after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the atmosphere.

An inquiry by a news agency last year located a facility 295 miles from the city as the possible firing point of the missile.

Utilizing space-based photos from last summer, an expert reported to the outlet he had observed several deployment sites under construction at the location.

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