Russia boosts Iskander and Kinzhal missile production amid sanctions

It has become clear how many missiles the Russian defence industry produces monthly. According to recent findings, Russia produces 85-90 rounds of ammunition per month, including Kinzhal and Iskander missiles.

Recently, the Russian Federation has been facing problems resulting from increasingly severe sanctions imposed by the West. The partisan movement Atesh reported that, according to the partisans, there is a shortage of components for the production of military equipment in Russia, including components necessary for producing fire control systems.

However, this does not mean that the production of Russian weapons has been minimized. The Russian Federation still has allies who supply the local military industry with the necessary components. In recent weeks, there has been an increase in missile production, especially of the Iskander missiles – as stated by Oleksandr Musiienko, a military expert and analyst associated with the army sector.

Current data indicate that Russia produces 85-90 missiles monthly, including Kinzhal and Iskander missiles, as reported on the Ukrainian agency Unian’s portal.

The expert notes that until recently, the Russian Federation was characterized by lower efficiency in producing Iskander missiles. Although Musiienko does not specify precisely how many Iskander missiles Russia produces today, recent data suggest that a maximum of 40 units were made in a month. Now, the efficiency has increased.

– Previously, they produced fewer. We can only assume that they have established some supply chain through third countries, which enabled Russia to purchase those elements they previously lacked – added Musiienko. The increase in missile production is accompanied by intensified shelling directed at Ukrainian airports. The analyst suspects this may be related to an attempt to delay Ukraine’s reception of F-16 fighters.

The mentioned missiles, which the Russians produce up to 90 units per month, are some of the most dangerous weapons in the aggressor's arsenal. Iskanders come in three variants (Iskander-M, Iskander-K, and the export version Iskander-E).

The most frequently used are the ones with the "M" designation – these are the ones the Russians use to shell Ukrainian positions. The ballistic missiles of this system have a length exceeding 7 metres, while their diameter is barely 1 metre. Depending on the variant, they can weigh up to 5 metric tons, and their range reaches 500 kilometres. The maximum speed achieved by missiles fired from Iskander systems is 8,600 km/h.

Meanwhile, the Russian Kinzhals are another dangerous missile for Ukrainians, with a mass of up to 4.5 metric tons. Such massive ammunition can travel even up to 2,000 kilometres. According to the Russians, the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal can accelerate to 10 Ma, but no evidence confirms this specification. In practice, the maximum speed of the mentioned missile is estimated at 8 Ma or approximately 9,800 km/h.