Missile Oreshnik

The development of the Oreshnik was driven by the requirement to modernize intermediate-range ballistic capabilities and counter integrated missile defense architectures. It originated as a response to the perceived limitations of traditional delivery methods in the face of evolving interception technologies. The project focused on integrating high-velocity reentry vehicles with a mobile delivery platform, ensuring a capability that could circumvent theater-level defenses.

The system utilizes multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, enabling the simultaneous engagement of several objectives or the concentrated application of force against a single high-value target. It is a dual-capable platform, designed to carry either conventional or nuclear warheads. In a nuclear configuration, the reentry vehicles can be equipped with warheads of varying yields to fulfill strategic mission requirements. The system's primary capability is its high terminal velocity, which generates massive kinetic energy upon impact, providing significant destructive potential regardless of the payload type. This speed is intended to reduce the reaction time of defensive systems to a minimum.

Deployment is executed through mobile, ground-based launch units, which offer operational flexibility and the ability to launch from diverse geographical positions. The system has been employed in combat operations to strike hardened infrastructure, serving as a demonstration of both technical reach and strategic intent. Its use is characterized by its role as a high-speed asset for intermediate-range engagements, providing a means to strike targets across continental distances while evading modern air defense networks.