MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. The Russian Oreshnik supersonic ballistic missile system has exposed the fundamental vulnerability and inability of modern NATO anti-ballistic missile and air defense systems, including the American-made Patriot system, to reliably intercept weapons of this class, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS.

"The upgraded PAC-3 interceptor missiles have a speed of just over 6,000 km/h, indicating that the Oreshnik's warhead is more than twice as fast as the latest anti-aircraft guided missiles from their key manufacturer, the US military-industrial complex," the expert noted.

According to him, unbiased Western and Ukrainian sources recorded the warheads’ final velocity at approximately 13,000 km/h. This, coupled with their ability to separate and maneuver along complex trajectories, makes interception virtually impossible for existing systems. "Without eliminating the technical gap in hypersonic capabilities, the air defense missile systems in service with NATO countries are unable to effectively counter Russian hypersonic weapons," Stepanov said.

The expert added that the Oreshnik strike on the Lvov state aircraft repair plant in western Ukraine on the night of January 9 dealt a critical blow to the Ukrainian army’s air force potential. The enterprise repaired and provided maintenance for the Ukrainian army’s aircraft, including F-16 and MiG-29 fighter jets supplied by Western countries. It also produced long-and medium-range attack UAVs used for strikes on civilian facilities deep inside Russia. According to Stepanov, the destruction of this key industrial and repair center virtually deprives Ukraine of the ability to provide logistical support for the remaining Ukrainian air force.

Hypersonic weapons, the expert concludes, are changing the very physics of air defense, posing a complex technological challenge to the Western military-industrial complex, requiring it to narrow the gap in a whole range of areas - from materials science to high-temperature-resistant electronics and guidance systems.