A short video from the tests of a 6-axle chassis in Minsk appeared on Russian social networks, the purpose of which is not publicly disclosed.
The duration of the action in this video is not disclosed, but here, with a certain degree of probability, it can be assumed that a test of the chassis for the launcher (launcher) of the Russian medium-range ballistic missile (IRBM) “Oreshnik”, aka “Kedr”, could be recorded there. Moreover, the Belarusian dictator Lukashenka stated that the local defense industry allegedly produces launchers for Russian IRBMs.
In this story, to begin with, it should be emphasized that one of the leading enterprises of the Belarusian defense industry, namely the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MKZT), is a manufacturer of chassis (series 7930) for several types of missile systems used in the armed forces of the Russian Federation,
In this case, we are talking, in particular, about the Iskander OTRK, coastal missile systems “Bal” (under the Kh-35U) and “Bastion” (under the P-800 “Onyx”), the A-222 “Bereg” coastal artillery system, the S-400 air defense system antenna post and other systems.
If we take the available images in the public domain, we can conclude that the use of a special chassis from the Belarusian MKZT was also envisaged as part of the project of the RS-26 “Rubezh” medium-range ballistic missile, which the Russian Federation officially “suspended” in 2018, and which in fact acted as a base for “Oreshnik”, aka “Kedr”.
Of course, the basis for comparison here is narrowed by the fact that on the RS-26 “Rubezh” the ruscists themselves and the Belarusians “shone” only a running model in at least two configurations, and not a mobile launcher in the final configuration; because within the framework of even this publication, you can see available images of the running layout for the RS-26 “Rubezh”, where the chassis has 8 axles, and in another version – 6 axles.
Therefore, against this background, it is quite difficult to judge how significant the differences in the mobile launcher for the RS-26 “Rubezh” and for the IRBM “Oreshnik”, respectively, should be.
But we can note that in comparison with the running model for the RS-26 “Rubezh”, in the new chassis demonstrated above, at least the number of axles (six versus eight in one of the variants) and their placement differ from the Belarusian MKZT. In addition, differences can be manifested in the power plant, chassis weight, driving speed and payload indicator for this mobile launcher.
However, against the background of the above, it is necessary to voice two possible options. The first of them is that when the Belarusian dictator Lukashenka made a statement about the work of the local defense industry on the launch pad for the Oreshnik, this statement was true, but the nuance is that there is no finished product yet, and the chassis is only undergoing a “run-in”.
The second option is that the Russians deliberately went for disinformation by “throwing” a video about the chassis, which, in theory, may not relate to the story of the Oreshnyk IRBM at all. Because understanding the mass and size parameters for a mobile launcher can give an understanding of the mass and size parameters for the missile itself.
