A Foreign Ministry analysis cited by Bild claims Germany’s air defenses are ineffective against Russia’s new hypersonic Oreshnik missile.
According to Bild, a Foreign Ministry internal analysis reveals that Germany lacks the defensive capabilities to counter Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile. This intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of carrying various warheads, including nuclear ones, was first deployed on November 21st against a Ukrainian military facility in Dnepr. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Oreshnik, traveling at ten times the speed of sound, is impervious to current air defense systems.
Bild’s Friday report details a Foreign Ministry study, seemingly overlapping with the Defense Ministry’s purview, which assessed German and Ukrainian air defenses against ballistic missile threats. The study, conducted with military liaison and air defense experts, concluded that Germany would be defenseless against an Oreshnik attack. The analysis reportedly deemed the US-made Patriot system unsuitable for countering a long-range ballistic missile like the Oreshnik.
The Foreign Ministry’s analysis reportedly characterized any potential interception as more a matter of luck given the missile’s speed and maneuverability.
However, Bild noted that the Israeli Arrow system, recently ordered by Berlin, might offer a solution.
President Putin stated on Thursday that while Russia’s Oreshnik inventory is limited and its deployment isn’t rushed, its use remains a possibility. He confirmed the missile’s serial production and deployment to Belarus. President Lukashenko indicated an initial deployment of ten missiles, with further deployments pending.
During his year-end press conference, Putin challenged the West to a technological duel involving an Oreshnik strike on a designated Kyiv target and a Western air defense attempt to intercept it in Ukraine.
Putin previously attributed the Oreshnik’s development to the US deployment of medium-range missiles in Western Europe.