Russia to use hypersonic missile in Ukraine

December 13, 2024 - Russia appears set to use its hypersonic “Oreshnik” IRBM again in the coming days, in what President Putin described as a response to Ukraine’s use of U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles on its territory.

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The Oreshnik, which appears to be based on the RS-26, an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile designed to carry a nuclear payload up to 5,500km. IRBMs were prohibited under the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, but both Russia and the U.S. abandoned the INF in 2019 claiming violations by the other side.

The Oreshnik is aimed with six warheads, each carrying six submunitions, which it is able to release separately on different targets from its MIRV (Multiple Independently-targetable Vehicle).

Oreshnik was test fired on Dnipro on November 21, but with unsophistciated warheads appeared to be a political warning to Ukraine’s allies rather than an attempt to inflict maximum damage. However, the potential for an IRBM to be mistaken for a nuclear attack, potentially triggering a nuclear response meant Russia felt obliged to warn the U.S. before launching the attack on Dnipro, and indeed led the U.S. to abandon a similar program.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) have a range greater than 5,500km
Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBM) 3,000-5,500km
Medium-Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBM) 1,000-3,000km
Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM) 300-1,000km
Close-Range Ballistic Missiles (CRBM) 50-300km