Ukraine actively uses the 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, the new development of the Russian Federation — the Oreshnyk medium and intercontinental range missile — may become a challenge that these systems are unable to overcome, reports Defense Express .
The main problem is a separate combat unit
The Oreshnyk missile is equipped with a separate warhead with several combat units for individual guidance and false targets. This makes interception difficult because:
- The Patriot PAC-3 and SAMP-T can engage a limited number of targets simultaneously.
- The number of "Oreshnyk" warheads exceeds the capabilities of air defense systems currently available in Ukraine.
- The main speed of the rocket at the entrance to the atmosphere is from 3 to 7 km/s, which creates additional difficulties for interception systems.
Limitations of existing systems
Even such advanced complexes as THAAD have limitations regarding the simultaneous firing of targets, especially when separating the combat parts of the missile.
In theory, the Patriot PAC-3 and SAMP-T systems can hit Oreshnyk 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 in question.
The only effective interception method
Experts note that the most effective way to fight the "Oreshnyk" is to destroy the missile before separating its warheads. This task can be performed by SM-3 , which are used as part of the Aegis — both the sea-based and stationary land-based versions of Aegis Ashore.
The SM-3 is capable of destroying missiles on the marching part of the trajectory, which allows you to avoid the threat of separate warheads. However, currently such systems are not available in Ukraine.
"Oreshnyk" demonstrates that Russia is striving to create a weapon capable of bypassing existing air defense systems. To effectively counter such threats, Ukraine needs not only modern air defense systems, but also integrated long-range ballistic missile interception systems.
