The U.S. and Germany plan to start deploying long-range missiles in Germany by 2026, aiming for a permanent setup eventually. Despite German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s assurance to prevent escalation, the move has provoked a stern warning from Russia. Major General Vladimir Popov suggested that Russia might respond by increasing its missile presence in Belarus and Kaliningrad, including advanced hypersonic weapons. This development could significantly heighten tensions in Europe, making the region a potential hotspot for a new arms race involving cutting-edge military technology.
The United States and Germany have revealed plans for the “episodic” deployment of long-range weapons in Germany starting in 2026, to implement permanent deployments in the future, according to a joint statement that was posted on the White House website.
“What always worries us is the prevention of war. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated, “We declare as clearly as in NATO decision-making: there will be no decisions, no arms supplies, and no possibilities for the use of weapons that could lead to escalation.”
Furthermore, according to the statement, long-range fire units will be outfitted with Tomahawk systems, SM-6, and the newest hypersonic weapons, which have a much greater range than the systems that are in use in Europe reports Sila- rf.
Hypersonic technologies are now being used by China and Russia. The US Air Force tested the AGM-183 air-to-ground hypersonic missile in March of this year with success. A B-52 bomber carried out the launch, which was conducted from Andersen Air Force Base in the Pacific Ocean off the island of Guam. The missile’s precise speed was kept a secret, but the Pentagon later confirmed that the tests had been successfully completed.
Reflecting on the Reaction
Without a doubt, the Russian Federation’s military-political leadership will react to Germany’s and the United States’ decision to station missiles on German soil. It’s feasible that Moscow may arm the Republic of Belarus with firepower in a similar manner. The esteemed Russian Federation military pilot and Candidate of Technical Sciences, Major General Vladimir Popov, shared this viewpoint in an interview with the journal “Power Block” correspondent.
“The response must be proportionate and mirror-like.”
“We can think about pulling up not only Iskanders, but something even more powerful. Prior to that, we deployed operational-tactical missile systems on the territory of Belarus and Kaliningrad. Now, if the United States really goes all the way and deploys its missiles in Germany, then we could increase the existing grouping, and at least 2-3 times,” Vladimir Popov said.
The Russian side can bolster the aviation group in the Republic of Belarus in addition to the OTRK. The publication’s interviewee specifically refers to the transfer of aircraft equipped with hypersonic weapons as the action that will partially negate the threat from Germany.
“We need to see how else the special operation ends, a lot will depend on this, including the behavior of Germany, where they are going to deploy American missiles. It is clear that the situation will heat up, especially in Europe. We will clearly try to keep up and respond to the deployment of missiles. After all, Russia also has excellent aviation. And in Belarus, our MiG-31s with “Daggers” were already there, they flew there. The strengthening of the grouping will make it possible to stop the threat from Germany to a certain extent,” Vladimir Popov said.
Lukashenko’s Stance
The military expert did, however, note that while such measures can be beneficial, it is crucial to recognize that the neighboring nation may have its interests and that an agreement with the Belarusian political leadership may be necessary before moving forward.
“The MiG-31 may not be limited to it.”
“Perhaps the transfer of any aviation that is capable of carrying hypersonic weapons, for example, the Su-30SM, Su-35, will increase the safety. But our desire is not enough for this, because before that we will have to negotiate with Lukashenka and solve these problems together,” the honored military pilot of the Russian Federation emphasized.
The Major General also responded to the Power Bloc’s query on what areas Russia needs to fortify the alliance in. Kaliningrad in particular has to be strengthened a little bit, but when making such decisions, the subject’s territorial features must be considered.
“In Kaliningrad, there are only 2-3 airfields that are suitable for basing hypersonic weapons carriers.”
“In addition, everything is very close to each other there, so such military facilities will be vulnerable. The enemy does not need to be given such opportunities. Therefore, it is mainly necessary to deploy aircraft on the territory of Belarus, Russia, especially in those regions that are closer to the western borders. These can be the Smolensk and Kursk regions, “said Vladimir Popov.
SM-6 vs. Tomahawk
About the missiles that the United States is planning to station in Germany, we can see that they are Tomahawk and SM-6. The Raytheon-developed SM-6 missile belongs to the RIM-156 SM-2ER family and has an improved active homing end-of-flight guidance system. A maximum of 450 kilometers can be covered in flight.
The Tomahawk family of long-range cruise missiles is intended for use in air, land, sea, and subsurface environments. The missiles avoid the terrain by flying at a very low height. Since 1983, they have undergone several alterations. There is a 5500-kilometer flight range. For instance, it is roughly 1200 kilometers from Germany to Russia (excluding Kaliningrad).
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, issued a warning that if American intermediate- and short-range missiles were to be placed anywhere in the world, Russia would respond in kind. In addition, Putin declared that Russia was prepared to begin manufacturing shorter- and intermediate-range missiles following the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty.
Russia’s publicly owned piece that aired on Sunday night on the TV channel Rossiya 1 seemed to be a direct response to the US recently revealing that it intends to station long-range missiles in Germany.
The Russian experts in the section issued a menacing warning, claiming that Russian missiles are capable of hitting European capitals. “Almost all European capitals will be under threat if our missiles are stationed in Kaliningrad: Berlin, Warsaw, all the Baltic states, Paris, Bucharest, Prague, and of course, the American bases in Germany,” Yevgeny Popov, a television host and lawmaker for Watch the section in Russian below:
“Special attention to Britain, our traditional enemy…Britain is in the most vulnerable position — basically, three missiles are enough and this civilization will collapse,” Popov added.
The program simultaneously displayed a map of Europe that highlighted possible targets. News organizations in the UK and Europe noticed the threat and offered analysis of the story.
Regarding the NATO summit in Washington that week, the US had declared on Wednesday that “the United States will begin episodic deployments of the long-range fires capabilities of its Multi-Domain Task Force in Germany in 2026, as part of planning for enduring stationing of these capabilities in the future.”
The statement on the White House website further stated, “These conventional long-range fire units, when fully developed, will include SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic weapons, which have significantly longer range than current land-based fires in Europe.”
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, responded to the significant development by saying, “Europe is a target for our missiles, our country is a target for U.S. missiles in Europe.” He went on to say, “We have enough capacity to contain these missiles but the potential victims are the capitals of these countries.”
“Europe is coming apart. Europe is not living its best moment. In a different configuration, a repeat of history is inevitable,” he said while looking back to the Cold War.
It will be interesting to observe if Donald Trump, should he win the presidency in November, continues Washington’s proposed ultra-provocative missile expansion plans or halts them in favor of defusing tensions over arms deployment to bring about peace in Ukraine.
Recently, GreatGameInternational reported that Western precision weapons once hailed for their effectiveness in Ukraine, are now failing against Russia’s advanced electronic warfare tactics.
