Russians have the quaintest ways to name their weapon systems. They name them after flowers: geranium, hyacinth, tulip. They give them female names: Katyusha, Tatjana. They might use the moniker of a favourite doll, like Pinocchio. Today it is Hazel, translated in Russian as Oreshnik, the latest medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile with multiple nuclear-capable warheads. This little number was recently tested at the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepropetrovsk (or ‘Dnepr’, as it is called by the Ukrainians). It is a lethal beast that no Western defence system can stop as it approaches at the astounding speed of Mach 10. All the world’s militaries began to scramble upon news of its first operational flight, but once it gets fitted with nuclear warheads – it will truly terrify.
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More details on Hazel and why it’s going to change everything.
The key line;
…To be concise: a system with the destructive power of a tactical nuclear weapon but carrying the precision of a top sniper’s bullet…
I do wonder if the yanks, specifically Trump, regret pulling out of the missile treaty?