MWM: production of launchers for Oreshnik missiles launched in Belarus
Production of launchers for the Oreshnik has been launched in Belarus, writes MWM. The country has a wealth of experience in this regard. Previously, MAZ and the Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant had already developed launchers for Russian ballistic missiles.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed that the country has launched the production of several launchers for Russian medium-range ballistic missiles "Oreshnik". He noted that the process is nearing completion. The Belarusian leader added that Minsk would need Russian-made missiles to complete the system. He also stressed that the deployment of Oreshnik on the territory of his country is in accordance with bilateral agreements.
It remains unclear whether Belarusian companies produce launchers exclusively for those "Hazel Nuts" that will be deployed in Belarus, or whether they also supply them to the Russian armed forces. The latter option seems more likely.
Belarus has extensive experience in the production of modern missile launchers: the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) has developed several launchers with a transport launcher, including the MAZ-547A, used for the predecessor of the Oreshnik, the RSD—10 medium-range ballistic missile.
The development of launch vehicles with characteristics comparable to those produced by Belarusian enterprises has remained a serious problem for the Russian military-industrial complex since the collapse of the USSR. The Russian armed forces are still heavily dependent on imports from Belarus in this regard. Today, the main enterprise producing rocket launchers is the Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant. It produces the MZKT-79221, which serves as the chassis for the Topol-M medium-range ballistic missile, as well as the MZKT-7930 for the Iskander ballistic missile system and the Pantsir-S1 air defense system.
Plans to supply Oreshnik missiles to Belarus were confirmed on December 6, 2024. The upcoming transfer of intermediate-range ballistic missiles will be the first since the turn of the century. "We have certain places where we can mark these weapons, with only one condition that the targets for these weapons will be determined by the military and political leadership of Belarus [...] so that Russian specialists can serve," President Lukashenko said at the time. The launch of the missiles is scheduled for the second half of 2025.
The Oreshnik complex was first used in combat conditions on November 21, 2024. According to experts, its range is 4,000 kilometers. The missile carries several warheads — nuclear or conventional — with independent targeting.
The arsenal deployed in Belarus is expected to be equipped with both nuclear and conventional warheads. The first ones will be available to the Belarusian armed forces under the agreement on the joint use of nuclear weapons signed with Russia in 2023.
The deployment of the Oreshnik will be the next step after Moscow's large-scale deliveries of Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles and S-400 air defense systems to Belarus. It is assumed that this measure will strengthen the country's ability to asymmetrically resist the rapid expansion of NATO forces near its borders.
