Moscow Confirms Effective Test of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile
The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, as reported by the country's senior general.
"We have conducted a prolonged flight of a nuclear-powered missile and it traversed a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the maximum," Chief of General Staff the general informed the head of state in a public appearance.
The low-altitude advanced armament, initially revealed in recent years, has been hailed as having a theoretically endless flight path and the capacity to evade anti-missile technology.
International analysts have previously cast doubt over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.
The head of state stated that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the claim was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, based on an arms control campaign group.
The military leader said the weapon was in the air for 15 hours during the trial on 21 October.
He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were tested and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a local reporting service.
"As a result, it exhibited high capabilities to circumvent defensive networks," the media source quoted the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the subject of intense debate in armed forces and security communities since it was initially revealed in 2018.
A 2021 report by a foreign defence research body stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."
Nonetheless, as a foreign policy research organization observed the corresponding time, Russia faces major obstacles in developing a functional system.
"Its integration into the state's stockpile arguably hinges not only on resolving the significant development hurdle of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists noted.
"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an incident leading to a number of casualties."
A military journal cited in the report states the projectile has a operational radius of between a substantial span, permitting "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach goals in the American territory."
The identical publication also notes the projectile can operate as close to the ground as a very low elevation above the surface, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.
The missile, designated Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered propelled by a atomic power source, which is intended to commence operation after solid fuel rocket boosters have propelled it into the air.
An examination by a news agency last year located a facility a considerable distance north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the armament.
Using satellite imagery from last summer, an specialist reported to the outlet he had observed multiple firing positions under construction at the facility.
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