Ukraine has been actively using Patriot and SAMP-T air defense systems to defend against Russian missile attacks, and they have proven to be effective against ballistic and cruise missiles. However, Russia’s new development — the Oreshnik medium-range and intercontinental missile — could pose a challenge that these systems are unable to overcome, Defense Express .
The main problem is the separate warhead
The Oreshnik missile is equipped with a separate warhead with several individually guided warheads and decoys. This makes interception difficult because:
- The Patriot PAC-3 and SAMP-T can fire on a limited number of targets simultaneously.
- The number of Oreshnik warheads exceeds the capabilities of the air defense systems currently in place in Ukraine.
- The main speed of the missile upon entry into the atmosphere is from 3 to 7 km/s, which creates additional difficulties for interception systems.
Limitations of existing systems
Even advanced systems like THAAD have limitations on simultaneously engaging targets, especially when separating the missile's warheads.
In theory, the Patriot PAC-3 and SAMP-T systems can hit Oreshnik warheads that have already entered the atmosphere, but due to the number of objects and the speed of the missile, the effectiveness of such actions remains questionable.
The only effective method of interception
Experts say the most effective way to combat the Oreshnik is to destroy the missile before its warheads separate. This task can be accomplished by SM-3 , which are used as part of the Aegis — both the sea-based and the stationary land-based versions of Aegis Ashore.
The SM-3 is capable of destroying missiles on the marching part of the trajectory, which allows to avoid the threat of separate warheads. However, such systems are not currently available to Ukraine.
"Oreshnik" demonstrates that Russia seeks to create weapons capable of bypassing existing air defenses. To effectively counter such threats, Ukraine needs not only modern air defense systems, but also integrated systems for intercepting long-range ballistic missiles.
