The Surprise of Hazel
The Surprise of Hazel Israel Shamir Russians have the quaintest ways to name their weapon systems. They name them after flowers: geranium, hyacinth, tulip. They give them female names: Katyusha, Tatjana. They might use the moniker of a favourite doll, like Pinocchio. Today it is Hazel, translated in Russian as Oreshnik, the latest medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile with multiple nuclear-capable warheads. This little number was recently tested at the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepropetrovsk (or ‘Dnepr’, as it is called by the Ukrainians). It is a lethal beast that no Western defence system can stop as it approaches at the astounding speed of Mach 10. All the world’s militaries began to scramble upon news of its first operational flight, but once it gets fitted with nuclear warheads – it will truly terrify. What would be a worthy target for such a devastating monster? Who should be first to be obliterated once WW3 starts? It seems like too much power to waste on Ukrainians. Who real...