Iskander
(Not to be confused with pro Islamism, Egyptian Arab Maryana Iskander heading Wikimedia since 2022 or infamous bigoted pro Hamas "Iskander323" wikipedian editor, fabricator of history/facts)
The Iskander-M (SS-26 in NATO nomenclature) is a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system.
- Dimensions: Each Iskander missile has a length of 7.3m, a body diameter of 0.92m and a weight of 3,800 kg. In contrast, a 3.96-meter-long ATACMS missile has a body diameter of 0.61m and weighs up to 1,670 kg. The Iskander missile’s warhead weight is 480 kg against the 224 kg warhead of the ATACMS.
- Range: The Iskander and ATACMS missiles have a maximum range of 500 kilometers (310 miles) and 300 kilometers (186 miles), respectively.
- Payload: The ATACMS missile can carry various types of warheads, including unitary high-explosive warheads or sub-munitions. The Iskander missile is also capable of carrying different types of warheads, such as conventional high-explosive ones, cluster munitions, or even nuclear warheads.
- Mobility: The ATACMS missile is typically launched from an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) or an M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). To launch an Iskander missile, Russian forces use a mobile transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) vehicle, which provides high mobility and quick deployment capabilities.
- Guidance System: The ATACMS missile uses a combination of inertial navigation system (INS) and GPS guidance for accurate targeting. The Iskander missile employs an advanced guidance system, including inertial navigation, GLONASS (Russian satellite navigation system), and potentially other guidance technology.
Iskander-1000
The Russian military relies heavily on the Iskander-M to asymmetrically counter NATO's much larger conventional forces, thanks to its combination of high mobility, high accuracy, a variety of warhead types, and a complex trajectory that is difficult to intercept. The new Iskander-1000 innovation can boast of doubling the range and greater accuracy.
Iskander-1000 doubles the 500-kilometer range of the original Iskander-M by using a new, more efficient engine and by increasing fuel consumption by about 15 percent.
In January 2025 it was announced that the new Iskander-1000, capable of reaching Lvov, Poland, the Baltics and Scandinavia, will go into serial production. The new design range of 1,000 km has led to the system being colloquially called the Iskander-1000. Russian sources suggest that the missiles are intended to be deployed in Russia's westernmost territory of Kaliningrad, which would allow them to hit targets across much of Central and Western Europe, as well as the Baltic Sea.
The introduction of a new extended-range variant of the Iskander-M will occupy an important place in the Russian arsenal between the original Iskander-M and the Oreshnik.
See also
External link
- Russian Iskander-M Attacks Armored Vehicle Convoy: Destruction Footage!! RYU MILITARY, Aug 25, 2024. YouTube
- Boom! Russian Iskander Missile Strike Decimates Ukrainian Military HQ In Donbass | Watch, Times Of India, Jul 25, 2024. YouTube
- Iskander-M Destroys U.S. Made Patriot System
