The Russian military has just released a video of the Iskander missile system firing during the operation in Ukraine and report that this missile has never missed its target.
The tactical missile complex 9K720 Iskander destroys military infrastructure and key enemy targets with ease, with the highest accuracy. It can fire accurately from hundreds of kilometers away, according to Russian military TV station.
In the video, the ammunition truck of the Iskander system moves at high speed to the launch site in the forest. The vehicle changes from operational state to ready to fire in just a few minutes, before the crew receives the target from intelligence and reconnaissance forces. A 9M728 cruise missile is launched, quickly gaining altitude and rushing towards the target.
Russian military television did not release images of the missile hitting the target, but confirmed that surveillance data from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) confirmed the accuracy of the strike.
“Targets include airfields, ammunition depots, pontoon bridges, locations where enemy troops and equipment are concentrated. Accuracy is always at its maximum, we have never missed a target” Dmitry, commander of the Iskander-K missile crew, said.
The Russian military is operating the Iskander system with the Iskander-M ballistic missile version and the Iskander-K cruise missile. Both variants are in widespread use during more than four months of the war in Ukraine. However, the Iskander-M version is said to fight with unexpected effectiveness.
Iskander is Russia’s latest line of tactical ballistic missiles, they are developed in two versions: Iskander-M has a combat range of 500km, while the Iskander-K version has a range of 1,000km. New long-range missile that is reportedly land-based version of the 3M14 Caliber-NK missile complex with a range between 300–3,400 miles (480–5,470 km) and may be based even on the air-launched Kh-101 cruise missile with a range over 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi).
Developed on the basis of the Iskander-M, the Iskander-K ground cruise missile system is more terrifying than many US ground-launched versions of the Tomahawk. Long range, ability to attack accurately, and difficult to intercept is what people say about the Russian Iskander-K system.
Compared to the main version, the Iskander-K cruise missile system is equipped with more compact ammunition but has higher accuracy and a longer range.
The Iskander-K uses R-500 cruise missile ammunition, which can be fitted with both conventional and nuclear warheads when necessary, making them an extremely fearsome weapon.
The R-500 missile can carry a warhead weighing up to 500 kg and a range of up to 1,500 km. Being able to fly extremely long distances, its target error is very small, only about 5-7m. Many experts also say that it is possible that Iskander K will have a maximum speed of up to Mach 5
The R-500 version, in addition to being equipped with conventional warheads, can also mount nuclear warheads with a power equivalent to 50,000 tons of TNT. The ceiling of the rocket is very high, up to 50km. With this speed and ceiling, intercepting the missile becomes an impossible task.
The Iskander-K system can be ready for combat in just 16 minutes. The time between two launches is less than 1 minute. This system can also leave the battlefield a few minutes after firing, making it impossible for the enemy to detect and intercept.
The missile launcher system is placed on a specialized vehicle equipped with a YaMZ-846 engine with a capacity of 500 horsepower. The vehicle can reach a maximum speed of up to 70km, a range of up to 1000km.
Due to its compact nature, the system is easy to transport and camouflage. The scary thing is that the Iskander-K system can be equipped with a new 9M729 cruise missile developed by Russia.
This type of ammunition was once mentioned by General John Hyten, of the US Strategic Command as follows: “Russia has quietly developed and put into service the 9M729 since the INF Treaty was in effect. Now Russia has openly used this ammo.”
“Clearly, the 9M729 missile is endangering Europe and the US forces here because the range of this missile is over 5,000km and they can carry a variety of warheads including nuclear warheads,” the US general emphasized.
The 9M729 bullet was modernized from the 9M728 bullet to increase the strength of the combat division, as well as improve the accuracy features.
The 9M729 missile is the ground version of the Kalibr-NK missile. They are equipped with an inertial-based navigation and control system with Doppler sensors that adjust the angle of attack according to the Glonass and GPS satellite navigation systems.
In the final stage, the active radar homing head on the missile will be activated, automatically search and attack the target with a conventional warhead weighing about 500kg.
In terms of design, 9M729 is manufactured according to the principle of conventional aerodynamics with two wings folded in the fuselage when moving. The 9M729 missile can easily overcome the enemy’s air defense system with a complicated flight path with many redirects at different altitudes.
The only difference that helps 9M729 assert its power compared to the NK version installed on warships in the range. If the Kalibr-NK has a maximum range of about 2,500 km, the 9M729 can hit targets at a distance of up to 5,000 km.
With this range, the Russian missile force possesses a type of ammunition that shoots more than twice as long as the land-based version of the Tomahawk claimed by the US to be perfected.