The Belarusian authorities is contemplating choices to combine nuclear warheads onto its military’s Polonez lengthy vary rocket artillery methods, in accordance with one of many nation’s most senior safety officers State Secretary of the Belarusian Safety Council Alexander Volfovich. “At the moment this can be a trendy complicated. The vary of the missiles was 200 kilometres, immediately these are missiles (with a spread) of 300 kilometres. That is high-precision weaponry. After all, any weapon requires changes and adjustments. Questions are already being raised about equipping these missiles with nuclear warheads,” he said. Nuclear-tipped artillery methods had been broadly deployed throughout the early years of the Chilly Battle, most notably throughout Central Europe and by the U.S. Army in South Korea, though they’re comparatively scarce immediately aside from the Pakistan Army’s Nasr system. The introduction of low degree tactical nuclear weapons might assist to compensate for Belarus’ standard disadvantages towards the huge and quick rising NATO forces deployed throughout its borders.
Belarus entered right into a nuclear weapons sharing settlement with Russia in 2023, with the Iskander-M ballistic missile serving as a major supply car for potential nuclear strikes by Belarusian forces. Russian nuclear warheads saved on Belarusian territory might be made out there to the Belarusian Army to equip these missiles within the occasion of a serious conflict with NATO, mirroring the nuclear sharing agreements the USA maintains with Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and the UK.
It has been reported that Belarus is creating its personal ballistic missile methods collectively with Russia which might be based mostly on the Iskander. By the tip of 2025, the Belarusian Army may have additionally begun to deploy Oreshnik intermediate vary ballistic missiles, with the launch autos for the missiles confirmed in March to be being inbuilt Belarus. Equipping Polonez rocket artillery methods with nuclear warheads will present a 3rd tier to Belarus’ nuclear arsenal, complementing the strategic lengthy vary functionality of the Oreshnik, and the Iskander-M which might function each a decrease finish strategic or increased finish tactical system.
The Polonez was developed collectively with China, capitalising on the commercial strengths of each international locations, with Belarusian business has been answerable for producing autos and launchers for the missiles, whereas Chinese language business produced the ordinance. This has raised the chance that the Chinese language authorities might not asset to the methods getting used for nuclear roles. The Polonez-M is broadly thought-about essentially the most succesful rocket artillery system in Europe, with its most notable function being its 300km engagement vary, giving it an analogous attain to the Scud-B ballistic missile and two to 3 instances that of most different trendy rocket artillery methods.
Belarus has perceived a rising risk from NATO member states, with Germany on Could 22 having inaugurated the brand new forty fifth Armoured Brigade stationed in Vilnius, Lithuania, positioned simply 150 kilometres from the Belarusian capital Minsk. Neighbouring Poland has in the meantime invested very considerably in increasing its forces, primarily via the procurement of floor forces gear from South Korea and F-35 and F-16V fighters from the USA, at a time when tensions on the border between the nation and Belarus have continued to rise.
