Recently, Russia announced that all missile units of the Russian armed forces have been replaced with modern missile systems “Iskander-M”. According to previous news from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian armed forces have repeatedly used the “Iskander” missile system to carry out strikes in special military operations against Ukraine.
So, what are the performance advantages of the “Iskander-M” missile system? What is the intention of the Russian missile force to refit with new equipment at this time? On related issues, military observer Cao Weidong brought his interpretation.
Moderator: The “Iskander-M” missile system is the most advanced tactical missile system in active service in the Russian army. What type of tactical missile system did the Russian missile force equip before the replacement?
The Russian missile force was previously equipped with the “Oka” missile system. The “Oka” missile is inferior to the “Iskander” missile in terms of range, accuracy, and ammunition used. In terms of range, the standard version of the “Iskander” missile has a range of about 500 kilometers; in terms of accuracy, if the “Iskander” missile uses inertial guidance, the error is about 30 meters, and if it uses integrated guidance, the error is only 2 In terms of ammunition, the “Iskander” missile has many types of ammunition, including ground penetrating bombs, cluster bombs, high-explosive bombs, and incendiary bombs. The refitting of the Russian missile force will greatly improve its defense penetration and strike capabilities.
The “Iskander” missile is an upgraded version of the “Oka” missile, and there are different changes during the upgrade process. “Iskander-E” is an export type, limited by relevant international agreements, and its range is within 300 kilometers. The “Iskander-M” and “Iskander-K” used by Russia itself have a range of about 500 kilometers. “Iskander-M” is a standard type, mainly using ground-to-ground inertial guidance. The advantage of inertial guidance is that it is less susceptible to external interference, but the accuracy is not as good as “Iskander-K”. “Iskander-K” is mainly equipped with cruise missiles, and the actual strike distance may exceed 500 kilometers