Our Iskander is in great demand abroad. Sales could start soon. This is what has been declared by the Russian state company Rosoboronexport, the largest arms exporter in the country.
The news has been very echoed in Russia. "Bad News for Bad Guys" (bad news for bad guys), headline from Sputnik. The problem is to understand who the "bad boys" are. The news was not well received by the West because the Iskander, whose price is less than five million dollars, was designed to undermine the defensive network of the American space shield and is considered the best system in its category.
The Iskander (code name NATO SS-26 Stone) is a short-range ballistic missile with GPS guidance system, successor of the SS-23 Spider 'Oka', radiated due to the INF Treaty. It is considered the most advanced missile of its kind.
The Iskander-M missile system, produced by the Kolomna KBM, was officially adopted by the Russian army in the 2006. The internal version or 'M' has a maximum declared range of 480 km (in the test phase the possibility of extending the radius well beyond 500 km) with a CEP or probability of circular error of 10 meters. The Iskander was designed to circumvent the most advanced air defense systems, including the American space shield. Capable of a maximum speed of 7 thousand km / h, the Isskander in the terminal phase of the flight relies on an optoelectronic guide, performing sharp maneuvers to evade air defenses and releasing baits to trick enemy radars. According to the Russian General Staff, the missile is immune to Western electronic countermeasures and is considered able to escape the surface-to-air missiles of anti-aircraft weapons of all NATO countries.
We know that in addition to the "M" version, the Russians have also developed an "E" version dedicated to export. Unlike the version in service with the Russian army, the "E" has an inseparable warhead (type 9M723K1) and a range of 280 km. A difference, the latter, purely conceptual, considering that the autonomy can be extended with the addition of a "tender", up to 415 km.
It is correct to define the Iskander missile system as one of the most lethal weapons in the Russian arsenal: designed as a high precision ballistic system, but optimized for use at close range, under 500 miles. The missiles can be launched in 16 minutes and in four minutes in case of operational readiness. The second missile (only for the internal version) can be launched in less than 50 seconds.
