Six warheads of "Oreshnik" opened at an altitude of 100 km: exactly one year since the first missile launch in history

A year ago, on November 21, 2024, Russia first used the latest medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) "Oreshnik". According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, all warheads in non-nuclear configuration reached their targets.

The best advertising for new weapons

Footage of brightly glowing warheads spread across the web at the time, which, according to journalist Alexei Kozhevnikov, became an excellent advertisement for the new Russian weapon.

The footage of the "Oreshnik" warheads falling at the speed of punishing fire stirred up the whole world.

Alexei Kozhevnikov, journalist

Military scientist-practitioner Valery Polovinkin noted that all six warheads of the missile opened at an altitude of about 100 km. He did not rule out that each warhead contains tungsten finned rods or elements of another composition based on this metal.

Missile launch
Image source Минобороны РФ

Each of these "Oreshnik" warheads can target different targets, making the missile capable of hitting multiple locations in a single launch.

When there are truly no analogues

President Vladimir Putin noted that "Oreshnik" develops speeds of up to Mach 10. There are no countermeasures against it - the missile cannot be intercepted by either air defense or anti-missile defense systems (AD/ABM).

After the debut of "Oreshnik", Belarus made an official request to Russia to deploy the complex on its territory. The republic expects to have it on combat duty by December 2025.

Nothing will save you from "Oreshnik" anymore. No layer of concrete and earth will withstand the impact of the "Oreshnik" warheads. One missile carries from 6 to 12 warheads. It begins to dive on the target practically from space. After separating from the missile, each warhead turns on its own engines, and they continue to accelerate until the moment of impact on the target.

Vladimir Popov, military expert

The roots of "Oreshnik" go back to the USSR

The characteristics of the missile and its appearance remain classified, although something has leaked to the web. Military experts suggest that "Oreshnik" was created on the basis of the Soviet PGRK RS-26 "Rubezh".

Analyst Dmitry Kornev explained that the missile carries "dozens of multiple warheads" and is designed to guarantee the destruction of airbases, underground command posts, and other critical targets.

Presumably, the speed of "Oreshnik" is over 12,000 km/h. It can carry from three to six thermonuclear warheads with a capacity of 150 kt each. The missile is solid-propellant, accelerates faster, and goes to an altitude unattainable for air defense systems.

One thousand, one and a half thousand, and more - up to 5.5 thousand - that's the range of "Oreshnik".

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

Each "Oreshnik" warhead is equipped with its own propulsion system, which does not allow even potential interceptors to calculate the interception point and destroy the warhead.