In world politics there are magic words that make entire governments tremble. For example, the phrase “chemical weapons in Syria” or “nuclear weapons in Iran” evokes a state of extreme military-diplomatic excitement among the political elite of Western countries. However, in terms of the speed of reaction of the progressive public to such phrases, our Iskander has no equal. The mention of the Iskander-M OTRK, especially in the context of its deployment near someone’s borders, inevitably entails a reaction close to hysteria from the media, military and politicians of border countries and their Western overlords. Let's figure out what is the secret of the magical properties of this operational-tactical missile system that so frightens our neighbors.
The problem with the Iskander missile system is that it cannot be caught. Firstly, because during the flight the missile maneuvers with enormous overloads, which are still unattainable for any interceptor missile in service with the countries of the world. Secondly, it flies very low - up to 6 km from the surface at a speed of Mach 4, so it is almost impossible to detect it using standard radar means. Thirdly, it throws out false targets to deceive the enemy’s radar, sets up active radio interference and “jammes” all the emitters by which missile defense systems navigate in space. Those. The Iskander can destroy any object within a radius of 500 km with an accuracy of 2 meters and a probability close to 100%. Theoretically, by launching a missile from Kaliningrad, you can “reach” the government quarter in Berlin, and the destructive force of the strike can be easily increased by “hanging” a nuclear warhead on the missile. No one in the world has such missile weapons. At the same time, Iskander is extremely mobile and secretive - the likelihood of its detection, even by space reconnaissance means, is very low. Within 1 minute, he launched a set of missiles and immediately left the location, turning off all devices.
The rocket is single-stage, has an engine with a single nozzle, is non-ballistic and is controlled throughout the entire flight path using aerodynamic and gas-dynamic rudders. Most of the flight path of a missile made using Stealth technology and having a small dispersion surface passes at an altitude of 50 km, and on the approach phase - 6-20 km (depending on the type of OTRK), which makes its defeat by the enemy a practically impossible task . The “invisibility” effect is achieved through a combination of design features, in particular, treating the rocket with special nanostructured dispersive coatings, dropping protruding parts after launch, etc. The Iskander trajectory is not only non-ballistic, but also difficult to predict. Immediately after launch and immediately upon approaching the target, the missile performs intensive maneuvering. Depending on the trajectory, overloads range from 20 to 30 units. Accordingly, the interceptor missile must withstand an overload of at least 2-3 times higher, which is technologically impossible within the framework of the existing 4th technological order in the world and even the promising fifth.
The Iskander-M is the main version for the Russian army and is significantly more complex than the Iskander-E available for export. Less noticeable, more maneuverable at the start and during the final phase of the flight. In addition, it has not just an inertial guidance system, like the Iskander-E, but a combined one, including radio correction, GPS, GLONASS, laser and optical homing in the final section. Controlled by lattice rudders. The warhead is not separated in principle, because the body serves to create lift at the final section.
In 2012, another complex was final tested - Iskander-K, which is a further development of the M. It launches even more accurate, already cruise missiles, which are equipped with small load-bearing surfaces, like on the R-37. Thanks to this, it became possible to fire along a flat trajectory, like the OKA complex did in its time, only much more accurately and faster. The missile can fly at an altitude of only 6 km (horizontal radars have no chance), it uses a combined seeker and replaceable warheads. Two missiles in a salvo can be equipped with different guidance systems and fire both along a mounted and flat trajectory.
Experts express the opinion that the combined use of two brothers - Iskander-M and Iskander-K - gives a synergistic effect that none of the existing missile defense systems can counteract. One of the missile technology experts, speaking on forums under the nickname “Evil Critic,” described the new product this way: “It is known that both ballistic missiles (BMs) and cruise missiles (CR), as well as their guidance systems, have a number of limitations on the “current state” of the target object... For example, if you bet ONLY on the Iskander-M, for example, with an optical-correlation system for final guidance on the target target, and if you assume that the object will have to be hit at “hour X” with low clouds and intense visual opposition from the enemy, the bet may be lost. The same applies to the final guidance radar system, which is similar in operating principle to that of the Pershing-2 - here the enemy’s intense electronic warfare can confuse the cards. At the same time, low clouds, for example, and intense visual masking of the final object, will be to a certain extent “on the drum” of the CR with an inertial and optical-correlation system that works out navigation corrections throughout the ENTIRE route (similar to the Pendossk ALCM CR).. Here, no amount of masking of the target will help - and here you ONLY need to shoot down the missile, shoot it down on the route or, as a last resort, on the approach to the target.
Finally, let’s imagine a situation where “Iskander-K” and “Iskander-M” “approach” the target (Czech missile defense radar or noble mines with GBI) - AT THE SAME TIME... And each demonstrates “their signature set of gadgets” , - “Iskander-M” - high-intensity maneuvering of a high-flying hypersonic target, “Iskander-K” - an extremely low flight profile (about 6 m) and following the terrain in a practically “autonomous” (i.e., independent of the search for a target onboard sensors) mode... This REALLY is a situation close to 100% probability of hitting the target... So, to combat Euro-missile defense, the COMBINATION of "Iskander-M" + "Iskander-K" is really optimal. The trick is to use these products simultaneously, “in one hit.”
The German newspaper Bild, citing its sources, reported that Russia has deployed Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region near the border with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This message was followed by the reaction of the US authorities, who immediately, through all channels of interaction, called on Russia not to destabilize the situation by deploying Iskander missiles in the west. "We would not want them to take steps that would destabilize the region," US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. Translated from diplomatic to human, it sounds something like this: “The deployment of Iskander missiles will upset the entire balance of power in Europe, and not in our direction. Anything but Iskander!” Concerns were also expressed in Poland and Latvia. Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olakas called this alarming news, and Lithuanian Presidential Adviser Dali Grybauskaite said that Russia's actions do not correspond to declarations of desire for closer cooperation with the European Union and NATO. Even China became nervous when it learned that the missile system would be located near its border.
Let us note that with the delivery of Iskander missiles to Armenia, the hands of Azerbaijan, which had recently been trying to flex its military muscles in the region, were tied - the aggressive rhetoric towards Yerevan stopped. In 2014, Armenia will complete the re-equipment of its missile units with ultra-precise and long-range missile systems. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan stated this at a press conference in Yerevan on January 24, answering a question from journalists about whether reports about Yerevan’s acquisition of Russian modern operational-tactical missile systems (OTRK) Iskander-M are true. Please note that it is not the export Iskander-E with a range of 280 km and one missile in the launcher, which has been reduced in capabilities, but a full-fledged "M", firing at a distance of up to 500 km and having 2 missiles at once (by the way, so far the only OTRK in the world capable launch 2 missiles from one launcher at once). Apparently, an exception was made for our Armenian friends due to the tense geopolitical situation throughout the CIS.
Iskander can deliver cluster (with 54 combat elements), penetrating, high-explosive fragmentation, and nuclear warheads to the target. This allows you to hit small-sized and area targets, including enemy fire weapons, air defense and missile defense systems, aircraft at airfields, command posts, etc. The RK includes a missile, a self-propelled launcher, a transport-loading and command-staff vehicle, a mobile information preparation station, mobile technical and household support units, as well as sets of arsenal and training equipment.
The history of the creation of this OTRK began in the early 80s. The use of conventional (non-nuclear) warheads while maintaining the effectiveness of the weapon forced developers to look for new ways to build a missile control system (CS). The accuracy of the inertial control system for solving this problem is insufficient; it should have been increased
approximately by an order of magnitude. In the 80s Attempts have already been made in our country to solve this problem. Optical homing equipment for the Scud was created (it was even possible to conduct field tests and hand over the missile for trial operation among the troops). A nuclear-free warhead with guidance using a correlation-type radar seeker was developed for the Volga complex. The modernized "Oka" and "Tochka" had not only an inertial control system, but also an optical correlation-extreme guidance system, which was also not only tested, but also underwent trial operation by the troops. During the years of inactivity of our military-industrial complex, the United States achieved great success in this direction: on the American Pershing-2 missile, which was destroyed under the INF Treaty, a radar seeker was installed that identified the terrain in the target area; optical homing systems are used in modern versions of the Tomahawk and CALCM cruise missiles. Their effectiveness was clearly demonstrated in Iraq and Yugoslavia.
The task of creating similar equipment for the Iskander was completed by the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics (TsNIIAG), a leading developer of guidance and control systems for domestic tactical and operational-tactical missiles, which has a 25-year track record in the development of homing heads. The main way to solve this problem was to combine an inertial system with optical guidance over the terrain surrounding the target. Moreover, the homing head created at TsNIIAG can be used both as part of the Iskander and on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types (including intercontinental ones). This seeker has already passed flight tests and has shown accuracy better than the Americans achieved with their Tomahawks.
The principle of operation of homing systems, which have the scientific name of correlation-extreme, is that optical equipment forms an image of the terrain in the target area, which is compared in the on-board computer with a reference one, after which corrective signals are issued to the missile controls.
The optical seeker is universal and makes only one requirement for the missile's inertial control system: to bring the latter to the point at which the optics begin to see the target. Existing active electronic warfare systems, which very effectively counteract radar homing systems, are powerless against such a head. The high sensitivity of the seeker allows it to operate even on a moonless night, which distinguishes the new system from existing analogues. In addition, optical systems do not require signals from space radio navigation systems, such as the American NAVSTAR, which in crisis situations can be turned off by its owners or disabled by radio interference. By the way, many potential customers of Iskander-E put forward demands for independence from satellite navigation. At the same time, the integration of inertial control with satellite navigation equipment and an optical seeker makes it possible to create a missile that can hit a given target in almost any imaginable conditions.
Information about the target is transmitted from a satellite, reconnaissance aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle to the information preparation point (IPP). It calculates the flight mission for the rocket, which is then transmitted via radio channels to the command and staff vehicles (CSVs) of the division and battery commanders, and from there to the launchers. Commands to launch missiles can be generated either in the command post or from the control centers of senior artillery commanders. The PPI and KShM equipment is built on local networks of Russian computers, and the functionality of the control set depends only on the software and can be easily upgraded to control various fire weapons.
On October 11, 2011, it was announced that the first stage of testing of the updated Iskander-M missile system with new combat equipment was completed - with a new electronic warfare system, which provides cover for the missile during the final flight phase. This system includes means of passive and active jamming of enemy air and missile defense surveillance and firing radars through noise and the release of false targets. Since 2013, new missiles began to be supplied to the Russian army.
The 2012 CIA analytical review “On strategic risks and the global military-political situation in the world” contains a very revealing definition: “The Iskander operational-tactical missile system is a weapon capable of influencing the military-political situation in regions of the world if located in Their states do not have an extended territory. Therefore, the issues of deployment of Iskander complexes, as well as their export deliveries, are the subject of political consultations between the countries.”
The complex is designed to engage conventionally equipped combat units against small-sized and area targets deep in the operational formation of enemy troops. It is assumed that it can be a means of delivering tactical nuclear weapons.
Most Likely Targets:
— fire weapons (missile systems, multiple launch rocket systems, long-range artillery);
— missile defense and air defense systems;
— airplanes and helicopters at airfields;
— command posts and communication centers;
— the most important civil infrastructure facilities.
The main features of the Iskander OTRK are:
— high-precision effective destruction of various types of targets;
- the ability to covertly carry out combat duty, prepare for combat use and launch missile strikes;
— automatic calculation and input of flight missions for missiles when placing them on the launcher;
— high probability of completing a combat mission in the face of active enemy opposition;
— high operational reliability of the rocket and its reliability during preparation for launch and in flight;
— high tactical maneuverability due to the placement of combat vehicles on off-road all-wheel drive chassis;
— high strategic mobility, which is ensured by the ability to transport combat vehicles by all types of transport, including aviation;
— high degree of automation of the process of combat control of missile units;
— fast processing and timely delivery of intelligence information to the necessary management levels;
- long service life and ease of use.
Combat characteristics:
— circular probable deviation: 1...30 m;
— rocket launch weight 3,800 kg;
— length 7.2 m;
— diameter 920 mm;
— warhead weight 480 kg;
— rocket speed after the initial part of the trajectory is 2100 m/s;
— the minimum target engagement range is 50 km;
— maximum range of hitting a target:
500 km Iskander-K
280 km Iskander-E
— time before the launch of the first rocket is 4...16 minutes;
— interval between starts: 1 minute
— service life: 10 years, including 3 years in field conditions.
The main elements that make up the Iskander OTRK are:
- rocket,
- self-propelled launcher,
— transport-charging machine,
— routine maintenance machine,
— command and staff vehicle,
— information preparation point,
— a set of arsenal equipment,
— educational and training facilities.
Self-propelled launcher(SPU) - designed for storing, transporting, preparing and launching two missiles at a target (in the export version, 1 missile). The SPU can be implemented on the basis of a special wheeled chassis MZKT-7930 produced by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Gross weight 42 tons, payload 19 tons, highway/dirt road speed 70/40 km/h, fuel range 1000 km. Calculation 3 people.
Transport-charging machine(TZM) - designed to transport two additional missiles. The TZM is implemented on the MZKT-7930 chassis and is equipped with a loading crane. Total combat weight 40 tons. Crew 2 people.
Command and staff vehicle(KShM) - designed to control the entire Iskander complex. Implemented on the KamAZ-43101 wheeled chassis. Calculation 4 people. KShM CHARACTERISTICS:
— maximum radio communication range when stationary/on the move: 350/50 km
— task calculation time for missiles: up to 10 s
— command transmission time: up to 15 s
— number of communication channels: up to 16
— deployment (collapse) time: up to 30 minutes
— continuous operation time: 48 hours
Regulation and maintenance machine(MRTO) - designed to check on-board equipment of rockets and instruments, to carry out routine repairs. Implemented on a KamAZ wheeled chassis. Weight is 13.5 tons, deployment time does not exceed 20 minutes, the time of the automated cycle of routine checks of the on-board equipment of the rocket is 18 minutes, crew 2 people.
Information preparation point(PPI) - designed to determine the coordinates of the target and prepare flight missions for missiles with their subsequent transfer to the SPU. The PPI is integrated with reconnaissance assets and can receive missions and assigned targets from all necessary sources, including from a satellite, aircraft or drone. Calculation 2 people.
Life support machine(MJO) - intended for accommodation, rest and eating of combat crews. Implemented on a KamAZ-43118 wheeled chassis. The machine includes: a rest compartment and a utility compartment. The rest compartment has 6 carriage-type berths with folding upper beds, 2 lockers, built-in lockers, and an opening window. The utility compartment has 2 lockers with seats, a folding lifting table, a water supply system with a 300-liter tank, a tank for heating water, a pump for pumping water, a drainage system, a sink, and a dryer for clothes and shoes.
ROCKET of the Iskander complex
is a solid-fuel, single-stage, with a warhead that is not detachable in flight, guided and vigorously maneuvered throughout the entire difficult-to-predict flight path. It maneuvers especially actively during the starting and final stages of the flight, during which it approaches the target with a high (20-30 units) overload.
This necessitates an anti-missile flight to intercept an Iskander OTRK missile with an overload 2-3 times greater, which is currently practically impossible.
Most of the flight path of the Iskander missile, made using stealth technology with a small reflective surface, passes at an altitude of 50 km, which also significantly reduces the likelihood of it being hit by the enemy. The “invisibility” effect is achieved due to the combination of design features of the rocket and the treatment of its surface with special coatings.
To launch a missile to a target it is used inertial control system, which is subsequently captured by an autonomous correlation-extreme optical homing head (GOS). The operating principle of the missile homing system is based on the formation by optical equipment of the seeker of an image of the terrain in the target area, which the on-board computer compares with the standard entered into it when preparing the missile for launch.
Optical homing head is characterized by increased sensitivity and resistance to existing electronic warfare systems, which allows missile launches on moonless nights without additional natural illumination and hit a moving target with an error of plus or minus two meters. Currently, except for the Iskander OTRK, no other similar missile system in the world can solve this problem.
It is characteristic that the optical homing system used in the rocket does not require corrective signals from space radio navigation systems, which in crisis situations can be disabled by radio interference or simply turned off. The integrated use of an inertial control system with satellite navigation equipment and an optical seeker made it possible to create a missile that can hit a given target in almost any possible conditions. The homing head installed on the Iskander OTRK missile can be installed on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types.
Types of combat units
- cassette with fragmentation combat elements of non-contact detonation (detonated at a height of about 10 m above the ground)
— cassette with cumulative fragmentation combat elements
— cassette with self-aiming combat elements
— cassette volumetric-detonating action
— high-explosive fragmentation (HFBCh)
- high-explosive incendiary
— penetrating (PrBC)
The cluster warhead contains 54 combat elements.
The Iskander complex is integrated with various reconnaissance and control systems. It is capable of receiving information about a target designated for destruction from a satellite, reconnaissance aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (of the Reis-D type) to the information preparation point (PPI). It calculates the flight mission for the rocket and prepares reference information for the rockets.
This information is transmitted via radio channels to the command and staff vehicles of the division commanders and batteries, and from there to the launchers. Commands to launch missiles can come from the command gun or from the control posts of senior artillery commanders.
Placing two missiles on each SPU and TZM significantly increases the firepower of missile divisions, and a one-minute interval between missile launches against different targets ensures high fire performance. In terms of its effectiveness, taking into account the total combat capabilities, operational-tactical The Iskander missile system is equivalent to a nuclear weapon.
/Alex Varlamik, based on materials from arms-expo.ru and wikipedia.org/
This week, a new missile for the Iskander-M operational-tactical complex (OTRK) was successfully tested at the Kapustin Yar test site. According to Viktor Bondarev, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, the event is extremely important for the country. Considering the constantly tense situation not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also on the border with the Kaliningrad region.
As the TASS senator stated, “the development and subsequent adoption of new high-precision missiles for hitting missile defense and air defense facilities serves as a guarantee of not only Russian, but also international security.”
Indeed, NATO generals take the Iskander extremely seriously. Firstly, neither the United States nor any other NATO country has an OTRK that would be close to the Iskander in terms of combat capabilities. Secondly, no one has any methods to combat Iskander missiles.
This spring, the head of the US Strategic Command, Air Force General John Hyten, speaking in the US Congress, admitted: “We cannot protect Europe from the ground-based cruise missiles that were recently deployed by Russia.”
It would seem that in such a situation the developer of the Iskander-M OTRK, which is the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, can take a break. However, the general director of the design bureau, V. Kashin, told TASS at the beginning of this year that in order to maintain its leading position in the next decade, modernization of the complex is planned. The tests that have passed relate directly to it.
Since January, the situation has become more detailed. Shortly before the tests, it was reported that “seven types of missiles have been developed, and maybe more.” Outwardly, they do not differ, but the filling of the missiles is different - engines, warheads, control systems. How many missiles will actually be added to the two already available is not yet entirely clear. But one thing is certain. Since the modernization of the OTRK will take place in stages and will take at least two decades, the connection of new missiles to the complex will be done step by step. At the same time, new missiles will replace the old ones “at the combat post.” And in the near future, one missile may appear, which is currently being tested at the Kapustin Yar test site. And everyone was satisfied with the results of the launches.
So why are the United States and its satellites so afraid of the Iskander? They inherited this fear from the previous generation of military men, who reacted with the same panic to the Oka OTRK, which appeared in the 80s. The panic was understandable - Oka missiles were guaranteed to overcome all NATO missile defense systems available at that time.
During perestroika, when the USSR and the United States signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Americans insisted on eliminating all Oka tactical missile systems deployed at that time and curtailing their production. This was achieved through forceful pressure on Moscow, since Oka had nothing to do with the INF Treaty. The maximum launch range of its missiles was 450 km. The treaty provided for the elimination of ground-based missiles whose range was between 500 km and 5500 km.
In the mid-90s, it was decided to create a new OTRK, not only using the developments gained during the development of the Oka, but also introducing the latest scientific and technical principles. The main developer, as before, was the Kolomna Design Bureau, and the co-implementers of the topic were a number of design bureaus and research institutes.
At first, the complex worked with one missile - a quasi-ballistic one. Its testing began at the Kapustin Yar test site in 1998. But then a default broke out, and the matter was delayed unjustifiably, that is, not for engineering reasons. The complex was put into service only in 2006. And then the first missile brigade of the Volga-Ural Military District began to be equipped with Iskanders.
Until 2013, the Iskander was equipped with two 9M723 quasi-ballistic missiles with different warheads - cluster, high-explosive fragmentation and penetrating. There is a modification with a nuclear charge. Warhead weight - 480 kg. At that time, the complex was 5-8 times superior in combat capabilities to its best analogues.
A quasi-ballistic missile received this name because when flying along a ballistic trajectory in airless space, it maneuvers with the help of gas-dynamic rudders to avoid enemy missile defenses. The rocket is a single-stage rocket with a solid-fuel jet engine. Flight in the passive phase after turning off the engine occurs at an altitude of 50 km.
The designers solved the problem of setting false targets for enemy radars in an extremely interesting way. During flight, radio wave reflectors are shot back in such a way that they form several groups. Each of these groups has the same effective dispersion area as the missile itself. As a result, several identical “missiles” flying at the same speeds are displayed on the locator screens. To ensure that the reflectors do not lag behind in flight, thereby unmasking the rocket, it periodically slows down, moving throughout the entire trajectory in a “group of quasi-missiles.”
During the final phase of the flight, when, as a result of diving towards the target, the speed increases to 6-7M, the rocket maneuvers with the help of aerodynamic rudders. In this case, the overload reaches 30g.
The first version of Iskander, of course, made an unfavorable impression on the Americans. But dejection gave way to hysteria when the Yekaterinburg design bureau "Novator" made a second missile for the complex - the R-500 cruise missile. Due to the inability to defend against the modernized OTRK, the United States responded with accusations that the R-500 violates the INF Treaty, since its range allegedly exceeds 500 km. And all this is unproven.
The R-500 has subsonic speed, but at the same time has the unique ability to overcome enemy missile defenses due to a number of engineering solutions, many of which have become revolutionary. That is, intercepting it is as difficult as, say, hitting a bullet fired from a sniper rifle from a slingshot.
It took more than 10 years to create this rocket. Testing and refinement in their process lasted 6 years. And in 2013 it was put into service.
Many characteristics and principles of operation of the R-500 missile are classified. It is known that with a warhead weighing 480 kg, its maximum deviation from the target is 1 meter. The approach to the target when entering the enemy missile defense zone occurs at an altitude of 7 meters. This became possible thanks to a comparative analysis by the on-board computer of the terrain map, images from the television camera and data received from the seeker. Like a quasi-ballistic missile, the R-500 can be equipped with a variety of warheads, including nuclear.
If it is practically impossible to intercept each of the two types of Iskander missiles, then when both quasi-ballistic and cruise missiles simultaneously approach the target, then it is no longer possible to intercept them even theoretically.
The range of the R-500 does not exceed 500 km, which is reflected in the name of the missile. The new missile tested at the Kapustin Yar test site also does not fly further. And, incredible as it may seem, people across the ocean are finally beginning to agree with this. Even if not universally and not everywhere. Thus, commenting on the tests, Newsweek writes: “This means that the Iskander-M missiles, although capable of carrying nuclear warheads, are not covered by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).”
The Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, by creating new missiles for the Iskander, is increasing the lead in this area of armament from the United States. Indeed, the best American OTRK MGM-140 ATACMS is significantly inferior to the Iskander-M in all respects. The ballistic missile covers a distance of 270 km and has a payload of 277 kg. Deviation from the target is 10−20 m. The missile maneuvers using aerodynamic rudders when flying in the atmosphere. But this exhausts the possibilities of countering missile defense systems. The complex was created in the late 80s, when the United States decided that there were no more serious opponents and never would be. Therefore, the development of more efficient systems was curtailed.
The situation has changed. A year ago it became known that the United States was beginning to develop a new complex. Its accuracy, range, payload, and ability to overcome missile defense systems will increase. It is reported that the new OTRK will be ready by 2027. During this time, Iskander will go even further forward. So the “catch up and overtake Russia” maneuver should not yield great results.
"Iskander" (complex index - 9K720, according to the classification of the US Department of Defense and NATO - SS-26 Stone, English Stone) - family of operational-tactical missile systems: Iskander, Iskander-E, Iskander-K. The complex was developed at the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau (KBM).
Purpose of the complex
Designed to engage combat units in conventional equipment against small-sized and area targets deep in the operational formation of enemy troops. It is assumed that it can be a means of delivering tactical nuclear weapons.
Most likely targets:
Composition of the complex
Command and staff vehicle (KShM) (9S552) - designed to control the entire Iskander complex. Implemented on a KamAZ-43101 wheeled chassis. Radio station R-168-100KAE “Aqueduct”. Calculation 4 people. Characteristics of the crankshaft:
- maximum radio communication range when stationary/on the move: 350/50 km
- task calculation time for missiles: up to 10 s
- command transmission time: up to 15 s
- number of communication channels: up to 16
- deployment (collapse) time: up to 30 minutes
continuous operation time: 48 hours
Combat characteristics
- 500 km Iskander-K
- 280 km Iskander-E
Types of combat units
It can also be equipped with nuclear and chemical charges.
Rocket
The missile of the 9M723K1 complex has one stage with a solid propellant engine. The trajectory is quasi-ballistic, the rocket is controlled throughout the flight using aerodynamic and gas-dynamic rudders. Manufactured using technologies to reduce radar signature (analogous to the low visibility technology of NATO countries "Stealth"): small dispersion surface, special coatings, small size of protruding parts. Most of the flight takes place at an altitude of about 50 km. The missile conducts intensive maneuvering with overloads of about 20-30 units during the initial and final phases of the flight. The guidance system is mixed: inertial in the initial and middle phases of the flight and optical (using a seeker developed by the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics, TsNIIAG) in the final phase of the flight, which achieves high accuracy. It is possible to use GPS/GLONASS in addition to the inertial guidance system.
Options
The Iskander can be equipped with R-500 cruise missiles, the firing range of which exceeds 2000 km.
Combat use
There is no reliable information about the combat use of the Iskander complexes, but there have been reports, refuted by the Russian military, that the complex was used during the Georgian-South Ossetian armed conflict of 2008.
According to the head of the Analytical Department of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shota Utiashvili, Russia used Iskander missile systems at sites in Poti, Gori and the Baku-Supsa pipeline.
In blogs, Utiashvili’s statement was widely discussed and was received ambiguously, since some of the photographs presented as evidence of several sustainer stages refer not to the Iskander, but to the 9M79 missiles of the Tochka-U complexes, while another part of the photographs actually shows debris from marked with the code 9M723, corresponding to the designation of the Iskander missiles.
Mikhail Barabanov, an expert from the Moscow Defense Brief, points out that the Iskander complex was used at the base of a separate tank battalion in Gori. As a result of a direct hit by a warhead in the weapons depot of a Georgian battalion, it detonated. However, the author notes that this information is based on unverified sources. A Dutch commission investigating the circumstances of the death of RTL Nieuws television cameraman Stan Storimans in Gori on August 12, 2008, determined that the journalist died from being hit by one 5-mm steel ball. According to the BBC, the Dutch commission expressed an expert opinion that Iskander was the carrier of the cluster munition, but the report did not indicate on what grounds such a conclusion was made.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the data provided by the Dutch side is not enough to determine the type of carrier. Earlier, Human Rights Watch put forward another version, according to which the death of the Dutch journalist was caused by RBK-250 aviation cluster bombs.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, denied all reports about the use of Iskander missiles in Georgia, saying that the Iskander complex was not used during hostilities in South Ossetia.
Policy
The Iskander OTRK is a powerful weapon that can fundamentally change the military-political situation in certain regions of the world, therefore the issues of deployment of Iskander complexes, as well as their export deliveries, are often part of political consultations between countries.
Composition of the Iskander OTRK.
- Gross weight: 42 t
- Payload: 19 t
- Calculation: 3 people
- Chassis: MZKT-7930
- Chassis: MZKT-7930
- Loading crane
- Calculation: 2 people.
Command and staff vehicle
- Number of communication channels: up to 16h
- Chassis: KAMAZ 43101
- Calculation: 4 people
- Weight: 13.5 tons
- Calculation: 2 people
- Chassis: KamAZ
Information preparation point
- Calculation: 2 people
- Chassis: KAMAZ 43101
Life support machine
- Chassis: KAMAZ 43118
- Warhead weight: 480 kg
- Length 7.3 m
- Diameter 920 mm
Nuclear weapons.
November 22, 2019
November 18, 2019
September 19, 2019
August 31, 2019
The Iskander operational-tactical missile system is designed to destroy area and small-sized targets deep in the operational location of enemy troops with combat units used in conventional equipment; destruction of enemy air defense and missile defense systems, as well as the most important objects covered by them, at ranges of up to 500 km. The complex was developed by NPO Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau. Tactical use of the OTRK can include a simultaneous strike with an Iskander-M quasi-ballistic missile and an Iskander-K cruise missile to destroy highly protected missile defense and air defense targets along different trajectories, which complicates protection from defeat. Has a low barrier to non-nuclear use. Created using modern design and scientific and technical achievements in the field of OTRK. A special feature of the installation is the use of two missiles.
Main characteristics of the Iskander OTRK
Composition of the Iskander OTRK.
The complex includes six types of machines:
Self-propelled launcher- designed for storing, transporting, preparing and launching two missiles at a target.
- Gross weight: 42 t
- Payload: 19 t
- Highway speed: 70 km/h
- Speed of movement on a dirt road: 40 km/h
- Fuel range: 1000 km
- Calculation: 3 people
- Chassis: MZKT-7930
Transport-charging machine- designed to transport two additional missiles.
- Chassis: MZKT-7930
- Loading crane
- Total combat weight: 40 tons
- Calculation: 2 people.
Command and staff vehicle- designed to control the entire Iskander complex.
- Maximum radio range when stationary/on the move: 350/50 km
- Mission calculation time for missiles: up to 10 seconds
- Command transmission time: up to 15 seconds
- Number of communication channels: up to 16h
- Deployment (collapse) time: up to 30 minutes
- Continuous operation time: 48 hours
- Chassis: KAMAZ 43101
- Radio station: R-168-100KA “Aqueduct”
- Calculation: 4 people
Regulation and maintenance machine- designed to check on-board equipment of rockets and instruments, to carry out routine repairs.
- Weight: 13.5 tons
- Deployment time: 20 minutes
- Time of the automated cycle of routine checks of the on-board equipment of the rocket: 18 min
- Calculation: 2 people
- Chassis: KamAZ
Information preparation point- designed to determine the coordinates of the target and prepare flight missions for missiles with their subsequent transfer to the SPU. The PPI is interfaced with reconnaissance assets and can receive tasks and assigned targets from all necessary sources, including from a satellite, aircraft or UAV.
- Calculation: 2 people
- Chassis: KAMAZ 43101
Life support machine- designed for accommodation, rest and eating of combat crews.
- Chassis: KAMAZ 43118
- Rest compartment: 6 carriage-type berths with folding upper beds, 2 lockers, built-in lockers, opening window
- Household supply compartment: 2 lockers with seats, a folding lifting table, a water supply system with a 300-liter tank, a tank for heating water, a pump for pumping water, a drainage system, a sink, a dryer for clothes and shoes
Combat characteristics of the Iskander OTRK.
Circular probable deviation: 10-30 m
- Rocket launch weight: 3800 kg
- Warhead weight: 480 kg
- Length 7.3 m
- Diameter 920 mm
- Rocket speed after the initial part of the trajectory: 2100 m/s
- Maximum overloads during flight - 20-30G
- Maximum trajectory altitude - more than 100 km
- Minimum target range: 50
- Maximum target engagement range: 500 km "Iskander-K"
- Guidance: INS, GLONASS, optical seeker
- Time before launch of the first rocket: 4-16 minutes
- Interval between starts: 1 minute
- Operating temperature range: -50 °C to 50 °C
- Service life: 10 years, including 3 years in field conditions
Types of warheads of the Iskander OTRK.
Iskander can use a very wide range of combat units. The main ones are:
To destroy area targets and entrenched equipment, a cluster fragmentation warhead is used with remote detonation in the air of 54 combat elements to destroy people and equipment in the trenches from above.
- A concrete-piercing warhead is used to destroy bunkers.
- To hit point targets, a high-explosive fragmentation warhead is usually used.
Cluster warheads for hitting area targets.
Iskander can use a wide range of cluster warheads, allowing it to immediately hit a large area target, such as a military base, airfield, air defense/missile defense center.
On average, 1 kg of fragmentation cluster munitions affects about 32 m2. The area of destruction varies depending on the type of cluster munition and can be much lower for cumulative or volumetric detonating munitions, but these munitions can also hit armored vehicles or infantry/vehicles in shelters. The known types of Iskander OTRK cluster munitions are as follows:
Cassette with 54 fragmentation combat elements of non-contact detonation, triggered at a height of about 10 m above the ground surface
Cassette with PTAB-2.5KO cumulative fragmentation warheads, capable of penetrating the roof armor of armored vehicles up to 20 mm thick, as well as inflicting wounds on infantry with fragments
Cassette with self-aiming combat elements using its own radar and IR seeker to destroy clusters of SPBE-D equipment
Volumetric detonating cassette for destroying manpower and equipment among buildings and in shelters
Non-cluster munitions for hitting point targets.
Non-cluster warheads are designed to destroy point fortified objects such as command bunkers, reinforced concrete warehouse buildings, barracks, fuel storage tanks and the like. Anti-bunker ammunition is designed to penetrate reinforced concrete floors up to 1.2 m thick and detonate indoors. High-explosive fragmentation warheads hit lightly armored vehicles with shrapnel at a distance of 70 m, and easily vulnerable equipment, such as dug-in vehicles as part of air defense systems and communications centers, at a distance of 200 m.
Nuclear weapons.
Special (nuclear) warhead with a capacity of up to 50 kilotons.
November 22, 2019 At the Kapustin Yar training ground, a solemn ceremony was held to present a brigade set of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system to the personnel of the missile formation of the Western Military District. The transfer of the kit completed the re-equipment of the existing missile formations of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The event was attended by the head of combat training - deputy chief of the missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel Yuri Zaritsky, the command of the Western Military District and representatives of defense industry enterprises.
November 18, 2019 During the exercises, crews of the Iskander-M missile systems of the Central Military District practiced delivering group and single strikes against important objects and targets that determine the combat potential of a mock enemy at a distance of up to 200 kilometers. The crews marched to the designated area, where they carried out engineering equipment for the starting positions and took up combat duty. The crews also improved their actions when working on launchers and transport-loading vehicles, and the drivers strengthened their driving skills in various terrain conditions.
September 19, 2019 At the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg region, military personnel of the Central Military District missile unit hit a training target with a missile from the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system. The launch took place during the strategic command and staff exercises Center-2019. The complex hit a target that imitated a critical target of a mock enemy.
August 31, 2019, as part of a tactical exercise at the Kapustin Yar training ground, military personnel of the VVO missile formation launched a ballistic missile of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system at a target simulating a critical target of a mock enemy. As a result of the missile strike, the training target was destroyed.
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Ground forces have completed rearmament with the Iskander missile system
On November 22, 2019, at the Kapustin Yar training ground, a ceremony was held to present a brigade set of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system to the personnel of the missile formation of the Western Military District. The transfer of the kit completed the re-equipment of the existing missile formations of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The event was attended by the head of combat training - deputy chief of the missile forces and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel Yuri Zaritsky, the command of the Western Military District and representatives of defense industry enterprises. Several dozen launchers, transport-loading and command-staff vehicles, life support equipment, regulations and maintenance were handed over to the personnel of the missile formation. The final stage of rearmament of the missile formation will be a tactical exercise with a combat launch of a missile, after which the entire personnel of the formation will march in a combined manner to the place of permanent deployment.
Iskander-M complexes practiced delivering strikes against a simulated enemy
On November 18, 2019, during the exercise, crews of the Iskander-M missile systems of the Central Military District practiced carrying out group and single strikes against important facilities and targets that determine the combat potential of a mock enemy, located at a distance of up to 200 kilometers. The crews marched to the designated area, where they carried out engineering equipment for the starting positions and took up combat duty. The crews also improved their actions when working on launchers and transport-loading vehicles, and the drivers strengthened their driving skills in various terrain conditions.
At the Center-2019 exercises, the Iskander-M missile was successfully launched
At the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg region on September 19, 2019, military personnel from the missile formation of the Central Military District hit a training target with a missile from the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system. The launch was carried out as part of the strategic command and staff exercises Center-2019. The complex successfully hit a target that imitated a critical target of a mock enemy. The servicemen also fulfilled the standards for transferring the missile system to a combat position and reloading the missiles. The effectiveness of the attack was assessed using the Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle.
Strategic command and staff exercise of the Russian Armed Forces Center-2019
The strategic command and staff exercise of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation “Center” was held from September 16 to 21, 2019. They are the final stage of a complex of combat training activities. During the exercises, military personnel worked out the issues of using troop groups in solving problems of combating international terrorism and ensuring military security in the Central Asian strategic direction.
An Iskander OTRK missile was launched near Astrakhan
As part of a tactical exercise at the Kapustin Yar training ground in the Astrakhan region on August 31, 2019, military personnel of the missile formation of the Eastern Military District launched a ballistic missile of the Iskander operational-tactical missile system at a target simulating a critical target of a mock enemy. During the exercise, the crews of the complex demonstrated their skills in meeting the standards for transferring the OTRK from a traveling position to a combat position, reloading missiles from transport-loading vehicles to self-propelled launchers, and launching a missile strike at given coordinates. As a result of the missile strike, the training target was destroyed
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