Russia Announces Accomplished Trial of Reactor-Driven Burevestnik Missile

Russia has tested the atomic-propelled Burevestnik strategic weapon, according to the state's top military official.

"We have conducted a multi-hour flight of a atomic-propelled weapon and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting.

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

International analysts have in the past questioned over the missile's strategic value and Russian claims of having successfully tested it.

The head of state stated that a "final successful test" of the missile had been held in last year, but the assertion could not be independently verified. Of at least 13 known tests, merely a pair had partial success since the mid-2010s, based on an non-proliferation organization.

The general stated the weapon was in the sky for 15 hours during the trial on 21 October.

He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were determined to be complying with standards, as per a domestic media outlet.

"Therefore, it demonstrated high capabilities to bypass anti-missile and aerial protection," the news agency stated the official as saying.

The weapon's usefulness has been the subject of heated controversy in defence and strategic sectors since it was originally disclosed in recent years.

A 2021 report by a US Air Force intelligence center determined: "A nuclear-powered cruise missile would give Russia a distinctive armament with global strike capacity."

Yet, as a foreign policy research organization observed the corresponding time, Moscow faces major obstacles in achieving operational status.

"Its integration into the state's stockpile likely depends not only on resolving the considerable technical challenge of securing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," analysts noted.

"There have been numerous flight-test failures, and an accident resulting in a number of casualties."

A defence publication cited in the report states the weapon has a flight distance of between 10,000 and 20,000km, allowing "the missile to be deployed anywhere in Russia and still be able to strike objectives in the American territory."

The identical publication also notes the missile can fly as close to the ground as 50 to 100 metres above ground, causing complexity for air defences to intercept.

The projectile, referred to as Skyfall by a Western alliance, is considered powered by a nuclear reactor, which is designed to engage after primary launch mechanisms have propelled it into the air.

An inquiry by a reporting service recently identified a facility 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the missile.

Using space-based photos from the recent past, an specialist informed the service he had identified multiple firing positions in development at the location.

Associated Updates

• National Leader Approves Modifications to Strategic Guidelines