← Back to context

Comment by rob74

5 days ago

Well, the "big explosions" have led Sweden and Finland to apply for Nato membership (and actually get it after various delays caused by Putin's allies) after staying neutral for almost 75 years. And everyone knows that Russia has missiles, so Oreshnik only demonstrated that they actually work (which I think no one seriously doubted either). The question is just whether Russia is willing to use these missiles (and maybe worse) against other targets too...

> Oreshnik only demonstrated that they actually work (which I think no one seriously doubted either)

Actually, many people started to seriously doubt anything that Russia says, especially concerning their military power in the light of their spectacular failures especially at the beginning of the war.

Regarding their nuclear arsenal from Soviet times, we are right to doubt in what shape it is and whether it could pose more damage to other countries or Russia itself.

As for Oreshnik, we have no idea how many copies they actually have, but at least the USA have practiced successfully intercepting hypersonic missiles already several years ago. I doubt they would export the tech to Ukraine, though.

  • We were told that the Iron Dome works, yet the relatively slow Iranian ballistic missiles got through in large numbers.

    Now the U.S. ships a small number of THAAD missiles to Israel, presumably in the hope of testing THAAD under real world conditions.

    Patriot missiles in Ukraine do not have a 100% intercept rate. What is the new miracle weapon that is supposed to intercept 18 hypersonic MIRVS in a single IRBM?

    Perhaps withdrawing from the INF treaty in 2018 wasn't such a great idea. Perhaps reverting to SS20/PershingII times is not such a great idea. Back then the German Green Party owed much of its existence to protesting both. Now it is an obedient war party.

    Since the U.S. wants to station IRBMs in Germany, thereby making it the primary nuclear playground again while being safe itself: Will Germany also get these anti-IRBM wonder weapons and will they actually work?

    • > Will Germany also get these anti-IRBM wonder weapons and will they actually work?

      Sure, you just have to pay ;)

      -- Lockheed Martin