The ground forces of the RF Armed Forces are completely re-equipped with Iskander operational-tactical missile systems. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The ceremony of presenting "Iskanders" to the personnel of the missile forces of the Western Military District took place on November 22.

“The transfer of this kit completes the rearmament of the existing missile formations of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

Several dozen launchers, as well as transport-loading and command-and-staff vehicles, were handed over to the personnel of the rocket formation.

History of Iskander

The conceptual development of the Iskander complex began in 1988 - the new complex was to replace the Oka OTRK, while not falling under the scope of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate and Shorter Range Missiles (INF Treaty) concluded in 1987 by the USA and the USSR. The agreement prescribed the destruction of ground-based ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500-1000 km and 1000-555 km.

Despite the fact that OTRK Oka had a flight range of 400 km and did not fall under the provisions of the INF Treaty, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Gorbachev, at the request of the American side, included this complex in it.

The chief designer of the Oka Sergey Neobedimy personally petitioned the Military Industrial Commission of the Presidium of the USSR Council of Ministers to develop a new operational-tactical complex, which would not be covered by the provisions of the INF Treaty.

  • General Designer of rocket military equipment, academician of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences (RARAN), Sergey Pavlovich Invincible
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The development was carried out by the Engineering Design Bureau in Kolomna with the participation of the Titan Design Bureau and the Research Institute of Electronic Devices (NIIEP). The Iskander was first shown to the public in August 1999 at the International Aviation and Space Salon (MAKS) in Zhukovsky near Moscow. The complex entered service in 2006.

The main type of shells used is a 9M723K1 solid-fuel single-stage rocket. After the launch, it flies along a quasi-ballistic trajectory and actively maneuvers using gas-dynamic and aerodynamic steering wheels. This seriously complicates its interception.

The cruising speed of the rocket is 2.1 thousand m / s. The smallest distance to the target is 50 km, and the greatest depends on the modification of the complex and the type of rocket.

The complex carries four missiles at the same time - two on the launcher and two more on the loading machine.

  • The Iskander-M missile system during a dynamic exhibition at the Army of Russia - Tomorrow exhibition as part of the IV Army-2018 International Military-Technical Forum in Kubinka
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  • © Ramil Sitdikov

OTRK "Iskander" is designed to engage large targets that are beyond the reach of artillery - command centers and bases of the enemy, clusters of armored vehicles and surface ships.

According to NATO doctrine, the Iskander (SS-26 Stone in the Alliance’s classification) is a means of creating the so-called A2D zone - the “access denied zone”. This concept suggests that the forces of the alliance cannot be located or move within the range of Iskander systems without the risk of unacceptable damage.

The INF Treaty

Despite the fact that the Iskander complex does not violate the terms of the INF Treaty, it was one of its missiles that Washington chose as an excuse for breaking the treaty. In 2014, the then American leader Barack Obama sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which for the first time at the level of heads of state he accused the Russian side of violating the terms of the agreement.

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Washington claimed that Russia, in violation of the provisions of the treaty, tested the 9M729 missile for the Iskander complex, whose flight range allegedly exceeds 500 km.

The Russian side has consistently denied all allegations that the 9M729 missiles have a range prohibited by the INF Treaty and violate the agreement. At the end of January 2019, the Russian Ministry of Defense organized a briefing for foreign attaches, during which it showed the military representatives of foreign powers a missile and revealed part of its characteristics.

Representatives of the department noted that 9M729 is a modernized version of the 9M728 missile, which is part of the Iskander-M complex. In 9M729, the number of warheads was adjusted, and additional equipment appeared, which increased the length of the rocket by 53 cm. 9M729 also received a new launcher that allows you to deploy four missiles, and not two. The maximum flight range of 9M729 is 480 km. This is 10 km less than the 9M728.

However, representatives of the United States and NATO countries ignored the briefing.

Complete rearmament

Retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin in an interview with RT noted that there are no similar analogues of this complex in terms of characteristics.

  • Launch of a cruise missile of the Iskander operational-tactical missile complex during the Thunder-2019 strategic command-and-staff exercise
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  • © Ministry of Defense of Russia

“The main advantage of this complex is that it is located on one machine and it is managed by only three people. It has two missiles, which can be put on alert within one and a half to two minutes, ”the expert emphasized.

According to him, now the Iskanders are in service with the missile formations of each military district.

“Today, the last brigade kit is in service in the Western Military District. Now there are “Iskanders” everywhere, in every military district, ”Litovkin emphasized.

Konstantin Sivkov, a doctor of military sciences, told RT that the Iskander solves the tasks of "defeating critical targets" of an operational and strategic grouping in the depths of enemy forces.

“The complex is used to destroy command posts, anti-aircraft missile launchers, missile defense systems, medium-range missile launchers with nuclear warheads, airfields, and other critical missions. This complex is of great importance and will increase the potential of our Russian army, ”the expert concluded.