The warheads of the Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) Oreshnik are twice as fast as the capabilities of PAC-3 interceptor missiles used in the American Patriot system. This was stated by military expert Aleksandr Stepanov of the Institute of Law and National Security at RANEPA.
According to him, Oreshnik demonstrated the fundamental inability of modern air defense and missile defense systems to intercept weapons of this class.
Unbiased sources reported that the speed of the Oreshnik warheads at the final stage was about 13 thousand km/h, that is, about Mach 10.6, Stepanov recalled.
Without eliminating the technological lag in the field of hypersonics, the missile defense and air defense systems in service with NATO countries are incapable of effectively countering Russian hypersonic weapons.
Stepanov also noted that in its latest modification, the PAC-3 speed is slightly more than 6 thousand km/h. This indicates more than a twofold superiority of the Oreshnik warhead.
The head of the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis, Aleksandr Mikhailov, explained that there is only one system in the world capable of shooting down the Oreshnik — the S-500 Prometey. It is in service with the Russian military.