Former US Army officer believes Russia's recent test of its intermediate-range hypersonic missile sends powerful warning to US

(MENAFN) Former US Army officer Stanislav Krapivnik believes Russia's recent test of its intermediate-range hypersonic missile, which can reach the entire European continent, sends a powerful warning to the US and President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration. Speaking in an interview with RT, Krapivnik discussed the successful strike by Russia’s new hypersonic missile, 'Oreshnik,' against a military facility in Dnipro, Ukraine.

Krapivnik pointed out that the test sends a clear message to the United States, particularly because it was under Trump’s administration that the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned certain types of missiles. This treaty could have prevented the very missiles capable of reaching Europe. Despite this, European nations did not object to the US decision, Krapivnik observed.

The missile, traveling at speeds of Mach 10 (approximately three kilometers per second), is one of the new hypersonic technologies Russia has developed rapidly after the US exit from the treaty. Krapivnik explained that while the exact capabilities of the missile are classified, it likely has a range of at least 3,000 kilometers and can carry multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. These glide vehicles can be used as decoys, complicating defense systems' ability to target them effectively.

He also emphasized that there are no known anti-missile systems in the world, apart from possibly Russia’s S-550, capable of stopping such a hypersonic missile. Krapivnik mentioned that although the US informed Ukraine about the impending strike, the Ukrainian authorities still did not know what to expect. This test demonstrated the missile's capabilities and proved that Western countries had been wrong in underestimating Russia’s technological and military advancements, he concluded.

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