The confirmed use of the Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile by Russia against Kyiv on May 24 — marking its third deployment during the conflict — has prompted NATO military experts to swiftly reevaluate their air defense capabilities. The Oreshnik moves at hypersonic velocities, which Vladimir Putin has likened to a meteorite, making it virtually untouchable by all current NATO surface-to-air missile systems, including Patriot, SAMP/T, and IRIS-T. Additionally, this missile is nuclear-capable and specifically engineered to obliterate fortified underground structures. The US Pentagon is now facing increasing demands to hasten the development of next-generation interception technologies.
