Russia’s new hypersonic Oreshnik missile system is a key part of the country’s comprehensive response to the US decision to deploy medium-range missiles in Western Europe, President Vladimir Putin has said.
The US is developing medium-range systems and intends to deploy them in Europe and Asia, undermining Russian security, Putin said. Moscow is taking a comprehensive approach to the threat, which includes the development of similar capabilities, he added, citing the new Oreshnik missile as an example.
“Our priority goal is to ensure swift detection of the launches of such missiles and their interception. At the same time, we need to streamline all the issues with series production and deployment of similar domestically produced strike systems, including hypersonic ones,” Putin said.
Moscow demonstrated the Oreshnik’s capability in November by firing the ballistic missile with a hypersonic conventional warhead at a Ukrainian military plant in the city of Dnepr.
The US and Russia used to have a commitment not to develop ground-launched missiles with a range of between 500km and 5,500km under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The bilateral agreement was adopted during the Cold War to mitigate the risk of an accidental nuclear exchange posed by such weapons.
The US announced its withdrawal from the accord in 2018, citing alleged violations by Russia and a need to compete with China, which was not bound by the agreement. Putin said on Monday that the American move had undermined global strategic stability. Russia will be ready to respond to the expected deployment of US weapons in kind, he warned.
Mass production of the Oreshnik will happen over 2025, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said during his report at the same meeting. Russia will also work on other advanced weapon systems, he added, with relevant changes to military procurement to be reported to the president before the end of the month.
Last week, the Pentagon reported the latest successful test of a medium-range weapon system dubbed the Dark Eagle, which includes a ground-mobile booster rocket topped with a hypersonic glide vehicle. The system is expected to become operational next year and will be ready for deployment in Japan and Europe, RT has reported.