Counterbalance EuroPRO

Russian weapons: Iskander missile system

Video provided by the Zvezda TV channel as part of a joint project with Lenta.ru "ARMS OF RUSSIA. 67 YEARS LATER"

The Iskander operational-tactical missile system, created in the 1990s, was adopted by Russia in 2007. Its development was carried out by the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau. The complex was first demonstrated to the public in 1999 at the MAKS air show in Zhukovsky near Moscow. The main targets for the complex in combat conditions are enemy firing points, air and missile defense systems, airfields, control and communications posts and other key infrastructure facilities. One complex includes a launcher, a transport-loading vehicle, a command and staff vehicle, a maintenance vehicle, an information preparation point and a life support vehicle. Currently, there are three variants of the complex: Iskander-E - an export version with one missile per launcher, Iskander-K - equipped with cruise missiles, and Iskander-M - armed with new missiles with updated combat support. Depending on the type of missiles used, Iskander is capable of hitting targets at ranges from 280 to 500 kilometers. The preparatory time before launching a missile complex varies and can range from four to 16 minutes, and the interval between missile launches is two minutes (this is true for 9P78 launchers equipped with two missiles). The equipment of the complex's missiles can be varied: cluster with fragmentation combat elements, cumulative, self-aiming or volumetric detonating elements, high-explosive incendiary, high-explosive fragmentation or penetrating action. In addition, missiles can be equipped with nuclear warheads. By 2020, it is planned to put 120 missile systems into service with the Russian Ground Forces. The Russian authorities use Iskander systems as one of the counterbalances in the political dialogue with the United States and NATO regarding the deployment of a missile defense system in Europe. Other counterbalances are also the modernization of the country's nuclear potential and the construction of new powerful Voronezh-type radar stations.

Lenta.ru: Weapons: Counterweight to EuroPRO