“Hazel” shuffled the cards
The launch of the new Russian Oreshnik ballistic missile at a target in Ukraine showed how vulnerable the UK is to possible attacks from such weapons. This opinion was reached by analysts who prepared a relevant report for the British government. According to a military magazine Military Watch Magazine (MWM)The country’s missile defenses are so weak that other NATO members have declared them a risk to the alliance.
The document, cited by MWM, highlights the “increasing risk to military assets in the UK and abroad” from hypersonic weapons developments led by Russia, China and Iran. The British Navy is also at a disadvantage; analysts note that the six Type 45 destroyers in service “will retain modest missile defense capabilities but will not be able to withstand longer-range or more sophisticated attacks.” According to experts, the level of combat readiness of ships is very low (17-34% of the probability).
The MWM article specifically mentions the November Oreshnik attack on a target in Ukraine. Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin later said that after such a display of talent, the British government “began to consider this issue more carefully and carefully.” And Oreshnik’s potential deployment to Belarus, “within reach of every point in Europe”, made the British military think twice.
The newspaper wrote this on January 5 TimesHe accused the country’s government of “failure to act over the past three decades, cashing in on peace proceeds and refusing to plan for an unstable future.” The publication recalled that EU states – Germany, for example – “hastily strengthened their missile defences”. And Britain, unlike them, does not have a land-based missile defense system capable of protecting critical infrastructure and populated areas from ballistic missiles.
“Britain is falling behind the rest. This is confirmed by military experts who say that due to today’s insecurity, Britain could be hit by ballistic missiles launched from anywhere in the world within 15 years,” writes The Times.
The newspaper drew attention The main change that occurred after the release of Oreshnik. “The legacy of the Cold War was the belief that the only missiles capable of targeting Britain would be nuclear-tipped and would never be launched for fear of triggering mutually assured destruction,” the publication said. The world has changed now.
Why is Oreshnik scary?
Oreshnik is the latest Russian ballistic hypersonic missile with multiple warheads. The flight range of the aircraft, which can be equipped with both nuclear and non-nuclear versions, is 5,500 kilometers. The first experimental launch in real combat conditions took place on November 21, 2024 at a facility in Dnepropetrovsk.
That day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Oreshnik attack was a response to the actions of Western countries that allowed Ukraine to fire ballistic missiles produced in NATO countries on Russian territory. According to him, since Oreshnik attacks the target at a speed of 2.5-3 km/sec, air defense cannot protect against such attacks.
Putin noted that Russia has a stockpile of such missiles and their mass production has already been carried out. Moreover, Oreshnik is not a modernization of old Soviet systems, but “the result of work carried out in the conditions of the new Russia, created on the basis of modern, latest developments.”
Mikhail Khodarenok, military expert of socialbites.ca notedThat Oreshnik is equipped with the most advanced means to bypass the missile defenses of a potential enemy. The warhead is multiple with individually targeted warheads. It is said that its weight can reach one ton. The speed of the newest Russian medium-range missile reaches Mach 10 (that is, ten times the speed of sound).
portal InfoBRICS Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of the international committee of the Federation Council, evaluated Oreshnik as the most powerful conventional weapon in the world “providing a great advantage in non-nuclear strategic deterrence” named We’re testing “Oreshnik” as one of the main events in 2024.
“It’s a good response to all Western theorists who say there is no need to fear nuclear weapons,” Dzhabarov said.
German edition will be available at the end of December Picture A secret report from the German Foreign Ministry has been leaked regarding the ability of German air defense systems to counter the Russian Oreshnik missile system. The publication stated that this “came as a shock to the Germans.” experts concluded that Patriot air defense systems in service with the Bundeswehr cannot withstand Russian developments.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.