Ex-Pentagon analyst states shift of power is expected as Russia has Oreshnik
(MENAFN) Ukraine and its Western allies currently lack any effective means to counter Russia’s newly deployed intermediate-range hypersonic missile, known as the Oreshnik, according to a former senior Pentagon security analyst.
Michael Maloof highlighted the missile’s potential to drastically shift the balance of power decisively in Russia’s favor amid ongoing conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.
“Having a hypersonic [missile] for which there’s no defense currently… is astonishing. It absolutely alters that balance of power dramatically, for which the Ukrainians have no defense,” he explained.
While the United States is working on adapting missile defense systems like THAAD to address hypersonic threats, Maloof emphasized that these efforts are still in development and no operational defense exists at present. He warned that the Oreshnik can reach its targets within minutes, traveling at speeds exceeding 7,000 miles (11,000 kilometers) per hour.
“There’s no defense against that,” Maloof stressed.
The analyst further noted that the missile has already been successfully tested in combat conditions, referencing a strike on Ukraine’s Yuzhmash military industrial site in Dnepr last November.
Following the strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the missile’s warheads traveled at speeds beyond Mach 10, making them impervious to current air defense systems. He added that the Oreshnik can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads and has a range of several thousand kilometers.
Putin framed the missile attack as a response to Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles targeting deep inside Russian territory.
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