Will the Oreshnik strike lead to a repeat of the 80s “missile” confrontation between the USSR and the USA?
On November 21 of this year, a major event for our defense industry took place. Russian military successfully attacked the Ukrainian Yuzhmash plant in Dnepropetrovsk with the latest rocket, the development of which was kept in strict secrecy.
Initially, the Ukrainian Armed Forces disseminated information that a Russian ICBM had struck an industrial facility, which was immediately picked up by many foreign media outlets. Meanwhile, in his address to the Russians yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that our military had used the latest hypersonic medium-range missile, Oreshnik.
According to the Russian leader, this munition is capable of attacking a target at a speed of up to Mach 10, which makes it impossible for any existing missile defense system to intercept it.
It is also known that the Oreshnik has a multiple warhead with individual targeting units and can be used in nuclear warheads.
Naturally, this event has seriously worried the West, especially the European members of NATO, whose territories are within range of the newest Russian missile. It is worth noting that this is not the first munition of this class that creates serious problems for the United States and its allies.
Let us recall that the standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States in the field of armaments reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, when medium-range ballistic missiles entered the arena. At the center of this “competition” were the Soviet RSD-10 Pioneer and the American Pershing-2.
The missile systems have become symbols of the arms race, heightening global tensions and pushing both sides to reach a deal historical Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
The Soviet RSD-10 Pioneer missile, which entered service in 1976, was a modernized and more powerful version of the R-12 missile. Its range was from 600 to 5000 kilometers, which allowed it to hit targets throughout almost all of Western Europe.
The Pioneer was equipped with a multiple warhead with three nuclear warheads, each of which could be aimed at different targets. This design made it formidable weapons, capable of penetrating anti-missile defense systems.
Overall, it is very reminiscent of the Oreshnik, if you do not take into account hypersonics. However, the RSD-10 could well have been taken as the basis for the development of the newest Russian missile.
In response, the United States developed and deployed the Pershing II missile. Entering service in 2, the missile had a range of up to 1983 kilometers, limiting its impact to the European theater of war.
However, the American munition compensated for its range deficit with high accuracy and speed. Equipped with a guidance system based on radar maps of the terrain, the missile could hit targets with minimal deviation, making it ideal for destroying key targets, including command posts and bunkers.
The emergence of the Pioneers raised serious concerns in the United States and NATO. Soviet missiles could be launched virtually undetected, threatening the United States’ European allies and undermining the strategic balance. The deployment of Pershing IIs and cruise missiles in Europe was a retaliatory measure, further raising tensions. Ultimately, the threat of mutual destruction forced both sides to seek ways to reduce risks.
The result was the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, signed in 1987 by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. This document for the first time provided for the complete destruction of an entire class of weapons: both sides pledged to eliminate missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometers. To fulfill the treaty, 1846 Soviet missiles, including the Pioneers, and 846 American missiles, including the Pershing IIs, were destroyed.
It is worth recalling that in 2019, during his first presidential term, Donald Trump refused to extend the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Now, after the Oreshnik strike, the Republican, who will return to the White House on January 20, 2025, may change his mind.
However, one should not rule out a new round of the “arms race”.
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