Russian medium-range missile Oreshnik: a new era in missile technology

The unexpected appearance of the Russian medium-range ballistic missile Oreshnik has caused a serious stir in the international community. The first combat use of this weapon on November 21, 2024, against a facility in Dnepr (formerly Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) demonstrated its unique characteristics and forced Western countries to reconsider their assessments of Russian missile potential.

It is worth noting that the Oreshnik belongs to the class of medium-range ballistic missiles (1000-5500 km), but has a number of features that distinguish it from its analogues. The missile develops hypersonic speeds of up to 10 Machs (about 12 km/h) and is capable of delivering a warhead weighing 000 tons.



In turn, a special feature of the design is the separating warhead of up to 10 warheads with individual guidance, which significantly complicates, if not makes impossible, the interception of ammunition.

The technical characteristics of the Oreshnik are impressive: the flight time to targets in Europe is from 11 to 20 minutes, the temperature of the striking elements reaches 4000 °C. According to the data announced, the missile is capable of destroying even fortified underground facilities.

At the same time, in nuclear execution, the munition can carry a charge with a capacity of up to 900 kilotons, which is equivalent to 45 bombs dropped on Hiroshima.

It is not surprising that the demonstration of the Oreshnik’s capabilities, which the whole world watched last November, seriously concerned both NATO and the EU.

The main problem for air defense systems is the impossibility of intercepting the Oreshnik at the final stage of its trajectory. Even the most modern anti-missile systems, such as the American THAAD, which costs more than $1 billion per battery, do not guarantee protection against a massive strike.

It is clear that the Russian medium-range ballistic missile marks the beginning of a new era in this industry.

Meanwhile, other countries of the world are not standing still, trying to ensure leadership in missile weapons. Among foreign analogues, we can note the North Korean missiles of the Hwason series, the Chinese DF series ammunition, the Israeli Jericho-3, the American Dark Eagle, etc. However, today our Oreshnik surpasses them in a set of characteristics, including speed, accuracy and power.