Russia Reports Accomplished Trial of Nuclear-Powered Burevestnik Cruise Missile

The nation has evaluated the atomic-propelled Burevestnik long-range missile, according to the country's leading commander.

"We have executed a prolonged flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a 14,000km distance, which is not the limit," Senior Military Leader Valery Gerasimov informed the head of state in a broadcast conference.

The low-altitude prototype missile, initially revealed in the past decade, has been described as having a theoretically endless flight path and the ability to bypass missile defences.

Western experts have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.

The national leader said that a "final successful test" of the missile had been conducted in last year, but the claim could not be independently verified. Of a minimum of thirteen documented trials, merely a pair had moderate achievement since 2016, according to an arms control campaign group.

The military leader reported the weapon was in the atmosphere for fifteen hours during the evaluation on 21 October.

He said the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were evaluated and were confirmed as complying with standards, based on a local reporting service.

"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to circumvent anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet reported the general as saying.

The missile's utility has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in 2018.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body concluded: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a distinctive armament with intercontinental range capability."

Nonetheless, as a global defence think tank observed the corresponding time, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.

"Its induction into the nation's stockpile likely depends not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the reliable performance of the reactor drive mechanism," experts wrote.

"There occurred numerous flight-test failures, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."

A military journal referenced in the analysis asserts the missile has a range of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the missile to be based throughout the nation and still be equipped to reach objectives in the American territory."

The same journal also says the projectile can fly as low as 164 to 328 feet above the earth, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to stop.

The weapon, designated an operational name by a Western alliance, is thought to be powered by a nuclear reactor, which is intended to commence operation after initial propulsion units have sent it into the atmosphere.

An investigation by a news agency the previous year identified a facility 295 miles above the capital as the likely launch site of the missile.

Utilizing satellite imagery from August 2024, an specialist reported to the outlet he had identified multiple firing positions in development at the location.

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