(CLO) Russia announced that modern air defense systems in the world, including those of the US and Europe, cannot intercept the new Oreshnik ballistic missile that it just launched into the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine.
10 times the speed of sound
Russia fired a new medium-range ballistic missile, attacking a military-industrial facility in the city of Dnipro, central Ukraine on November 21 in response to Kiev's use of US and British missiles to attack Russian territory.
Oreshnik missile strikes Dnipro. Photo: Ukrainian social network
Hours after the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise appearance on Russian television to talk about the intercontinental ballistic missile, describing it as a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that can fly to its target at 10 times the speed of sound.
"Modern air defense systems existing in the world and missile defense systems created by the United States in Europe cannot intercept such missiles," Putin said.
The strike marked the first time such a missile had been used in the conflict. Mr Putin said the missile was called “Oreshnik”, which means “hazelnut” in Russian, and that its first combat test “was successful”.
In July, he said Russia would begin producing intermediate-range missiles to “mirror” the US’ plans to deploy such weapons. In a speech on November 21, he said Russia had developed the Oreshnik in response to the US developing and deploying missiles with a similar range.
Maybe a variant of the RS-26 Rubezh?
The intermediate-range missile, or IRBM, can fly between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Ukrainian military officials said the missile was launched from Russia's Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea, 800 kilometers to the east.
Oreshnik is believed to be a variant of the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Photo: DE
According to Mr. Putin, this missile, Russia's latest hypersonic weapon, can reach its target at Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound), rendering Western missile defense systems useless.
Matthew Savill, director of military science at the Royal United Services Institute, noted that the missile used on 21 November had a range “far beyond any seen in this conflict to date and may have been used in combat for the first time”.
The missile is capable of launching multiple warheads at extremely high speeds, although it is less accurate than cruise missiles or short-range ballistic missiles, he said.
Regarding Mr Putin's claim that Western systems cannot intercept missiles, Mr Savill said it was "very difficult to defend against" even the advanced US Patriot systems.
Image of RS-26 Rubezh missile and launch pad in real life. Photo: DE
Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, described the Oreshnik as a variant of Russia’s RS-26 ballistic missile. The RS-26 is a 40-ton solid-fuel missile that falls between the two treaty categories. Depending on the angle of fire, the RS-26 can fly a little over 3,300 miles. That makes it an ICBM.
Ukrainian media also suggested that the “Oreshnik” could be a variant of the RS-26 Rubezh intermediate-range ballistic missile. The ambiguity in naming is common in the Russian defense industry. For example, the Kh-101 cruise missile is often referred to as Izdeliye 504 (Product 504) in internal documents, although Kh-101 is the more common designation.
Ngoc Anh (according to AP, Forbes, DE)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/oreshnik-sieu-ten-lua-ma-nga-vua-phong-vao-ukraine-la-gi-post322400.html
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