Moscow Confirms Effective Test of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon
The nation has evaluated the reactor-driven Burevestnik cruise missile, according to the nation's senior general.
"We have conducted a extended flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traversed a vast distance, which is not the ultimate range," Top Army Official the commander reported to the Russian leader in a broadcast conference.
The low-flying experimental weapon, initially revealed in the past decade, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to avoid defensive systems.
International analysts have earlier expressed skepticism over the projectile's tactical importance and Moscow's assertions of having effectively trialed it.
The national leader declared that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the missile had been conducted in 2023, but the statement lacked outside validation. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, only two had limited accomplishment since several years ago, according to an disarmament advocacy body.
Gen Gerasimov said the weapon was in the atmosphere for a significant duration during the evaluation on the specified date.
He explained the weapon's altitude and course adjustments were tested and were found to be up to specification, based on a national news agency.
"Consequently, it displayed superior performance to bypass defensive networks," the outlet stated the commander as saying.
The projectile's application has been the subject of heated controversy in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in the past decade.
A previous study by a American military analysis unit stated: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would provide the nation a singular system with global strike capacity."
However, as an international strategic institute observed the corresponding time, Moscow confronts considerable difficulties in making the weapon viable.
"Its entry into the nation's stockpile arguably hinges not only on surmounting the considerable technical challenge of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the reactor drive mechanism," specialists wrote.
"There were several flawed evaluations, and an accident causing multiple fatalities."
A military journal referenced in the study asserts the projectile has a operational radius of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the weapon to be deployed throughout the nation and still be capable to strike targets in the American territory."
The corresponding source also notes the weapon can fly as low as a very low elevation above ground, making it difficult for aerial protection systems to intercept.
The weapon, designated Skyfall by an international defence pact, is thought to be propelled by a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to activate after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the sky.
An investigation by a reporting service recently located a location a considerable distance north of Moscow as the likely launch site of the missile.
Using space-based photos from the recent past, an expert told the agency he had identified multiple firing positions in development at the site.
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