Now Combat Tested in Ukraine, Russia Confirms Stockpiles and Serial Production of New Oreshnik Ballistic Missiles

<p >Following Russia’s first ever <a href=" target="_blank">combat use</a> of an intermediate range ballistic on November 21, new details have continued to emerge regarding the Oreshnik missile class. Initially erroneously reported by Ukrainian sources to have been an intercontinental range platform, the missile deployed  six warheads, each with several submunitions, for a strike against military and industrial targets in the city of Dnipro. Speaking at a meeting of the Ministry of Defence and defence industry representatives, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that the Oreshnik would continue to undergo testing, including under combat conditions, indicating plans for continued use in Ukraine. “The tests will continue, especially since we have enough of these weapons for the duration of this phase,”  he stated, confirming that the missile was set to enter serial production. Although the Soviet Union developed multiple classes of intermediate range ballistic missile, the Oreshnik remains the first fielded by post-Soviet Russia. Moscow was previously bound by the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty with the United States, and after the treaty’s dissolution in 2019 continued to refrain from developing new missile types.</p><p ><img src=" title="Yars ICBM Launch"></p><p >“You can assume that the decision on production has been made. In fact, it is organised,” the Russian president further noted regarding the Oreshnik, stressing that the missile was a clean sheet post Soviet design. “As you know, no one in the world has such a weapon yet… Other countries are working on similar developments, but they will not have this system for at least another year or two. And we already have it today. This is an important advantage,” he added. “There are no means to counteract or intercept such a missile in the world today,” the president elaborated, adding that “the Oreshnik is a unique weapon, and we will continue to test and deploy it as needed to secure our country.” The President Putin stated that the missile travelled at Mach 10 speeds, or 2.5-3 kilometres per second, although this is standard for ballistic missiles with such ranges, and does not indicate that hypersonic glide vehicles were carried. </p><p ><img src=" title="North Korean Hwasong-16B Ballistic Missile with Hypersonic Glide Vehicle"></p><p >It remains uncertain how Russia’s new missile class is unique or what sets it apart from competing missiles, most notable the <a href=" target="_blank">Chinese DF-26</a> which was previously for years considered the world’s most formidable intermediate range ballistic missile class. Statements by Russian officials in the past have notably often described weapons systems’ superiority solely in the context of their capabilities relative to Western Bloc systems, with the Oreshnik having no equivalents in the Western world where ground based ballistic missile arsenals are limited. Much remains unknown regarding the new missile system, including whether it may be equipped with hypersonic glide vehicles – a capability North Korea <a href=" target="_blank">pioneered</a> with its Hwasong-16B intermediate range ballistic first test launched in March. An intermediate range ballistic missile capability provides a valuable means of striking targets deep into Europe and into the Atlantic, while also placing Western military facilities in Japan, South Korea, and on Guam within reach. The ability to test the missile under high intensity combat conditions in Ukraine is likely to help accelerate development, while also providing an opportunity to demonstrate its capabilities to Moscow’s Western adversaries. </p>