The West was reminded of the country in which the "thunderstorm of Europe" was constructed

Exactly half a century ago, on August 31, 1976, the first regiment with the RSD-10 Pioneer missile system took up combat duty in the Belarusian Petrikov. This Soviet development was dubbed the "Thunderstorm of Europe" in the West. And, as military experts write, for good reason. Details of the landmark event are provided by TASS.

According to the set of characteristics, the Pioneer confidently surpassed the American Pershings and winged Tomahawks. Each missile carried three individually guided warheads with a capacity of 150 kilotons each, which made it a formidable deterrent tool.

Subsequently, these missiles were eliminated under the Soviet-American INF Treaty. But in 2025, military correspondent Alexander Kots noted in an article that in the storerooms of Russia there were still developments on the Pioneer with a range of 600 to 5500 km, which, if necessary, can be quickly launched into a series.