Russia Confirms Successful Evaluation of Atomic-Propelled Burevestnik Weapon
The nation has evaluated the nuclear-powered Burevestnik strategic weapon, as stated by the nation's senior general.
"We have executed a prolonged flight of a reactor-driven projectile and it traveled a 14,000km distance, which is not the maximum," Top Army Official Valery Gerasimov told the Russian leader in a televised meeting.
The low-flying advanced armament, originally disclosed in recent years, has been hailed as having a possible global reach and the ability to avoid defensive systems.
Western experts have in the past questioned over the weapon's military utility and the nation's statements of having accomplished its evaluation.
The president stated that a "concluding effective evaluation" of the weapon had been conducted in the previous year, but the assertion was not externally confirmed. Of over a dozen recorded evaluations, merely a pair had moderate achievement since the mid-2010s, according to an arms control campaign group.
The general reported the weapon was in the sky for a significant duration during the test on 21 October.
He noted the missile's vertical and horizontal manoeuvring were assessed and were confirmed as meeting requirements, based on a local reporting service.
"Consequently, it exhibited superior performance to evade anti-missile and aerial protection," the outlet stated the official as saying.
The projectile's application has been the focus of vigorous discussion in armed forces and security communities since it was first announced in recent years.
A previous study by a foreign defence research body determined: "A reactor-driven long-range projectile would give Russia a singular system with intercontinental range capability."
Yet, as a foreign policy research organization noted the corresponding time, the nation encounters major obstacles in achieving operational status.
"Its induction into the country's arsenal likely depends not only on overcoming the substantial engineering obstacle of guaranteeing the consistent operation of the nuclear-propulsion unit," specialists noted.
"There have been multiple unsuccessful trials, and a mishap causing multiple fatalities."
A armed forces periodical quoted in the study states the missile has a flight distance of between 6,200 and 12,400 miles, allowing "the projectile to be based across the country and still be equipped to strike objectives in the continental US."
The identical publication also explains the missile can fly as low as a very low elevation above the earth, rendering it challenging for defensive networks to engage.
The missile, referred to as an operational name by a Western alliance, is believed to be powered by a atomic power source, which is intended to engage after solid fuel rocket boosters have sent it into the atmosphere.
An investigation by a news agency last year identified a facility 475km from the city as the probable deployment area of the armament.
Utilizing satellite imagery from the recent past, an expert told the service he had identified nine horizontal launch pads in development at the facility.
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