Moscow Confirms Accomplished Trial of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Missile

Moscow has trialed the reactor-driven Burevestnik long-range missile, as reported by the country's top military official.

"We have launched a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 8,700-mile distance, which is not the limit," Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to the head of state in a televised meeting.

The terrain-hugging advanced armament, first announced in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to bypass missile defences.

Foreign specialists have earlier expressed skepticism over the weapon's military utility and Russian claims of having effectively trialed it.

The head of state said that a "last accomplished trial" of the weapon had been held in last year, but the statement was not externally confirmed. Of at least 13 known tests, just two instances had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an arms control campaign group.

Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the sky for fifteen hours during the evaluation on the specified date.

He explained the projectile's ascent and directional control were evaluated and were found to be up to specification, according to a local reporting service.

"As a result, it demonstrated superior performance to bypass missile and air defence systems," the media source stated the official as saying.

The projectile's application has been the subject of intense debate in military and defence circles since it was first announced in the past decade.

A recent analysis by a foreign defence research body stated: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a distinctive armament with worldwide reach potential."

Yet, as an international strategic institute observed the identical period, Russia encounters considerable difficulties in developing a functional system.

"Its integration into the state's inventory likely depends not only on surmounting the significant development hurdle of ensuring the dependable functioning of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists stated.

"There were several flawed evaluations, and an incident resulting in multiple fatalities."

A defence publication cited in the study claims the missile has a range of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the projectile to be deployed across the country and still be capable to strike objectives in the United States mainland."

The identical publication also explains the missile can travel as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above the surface, making it difficult for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, designated a specific moniker by an international defence pact, is considered powered by a atomic power source, which is designed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have launched it into the atmosphere.

An examination by a media outlet last year pinpointed a site a considerable distance from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.

Using orbital photographs from August 2024, an analyst told the outlet he had identified nine horizontal launch pads in development at the location.

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