Ukraine's defence dilemma: Navigating the Russian Iskander-M threat
Ukrainians face a significant challenge with anti-ballistic defence, as Russians launch attacks on major targets using Iskander-M ballistic missiles without fear of interception. This article outlines their capabilities and why defending against them is so challenging.
19 April 2024 08:43
Having exhausted their supplies of missiles for the S-300P and S-300V anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, Ukrainians find themselves virtually unprotected against the Russian Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
Countering these missiles requires medium-range systems. However, Western countries have supplied Ukraine with just four such systems (three Patriots and one SAMP/T), or five, if you include Germany's forthcoming delivery of a fourth Patriot battery. This number is insufficient to safeguard all vital facilities. For example, Kharkiv has been without an active system of this class for months.
Therefore, when Russians identify a target, such as a Ukrainian artillery loading point, they do not hesitate to use ballistic missiles on such a valuable target. A recorded attack completely destroyed a warehouse supplying the multiple rocket launcher systems RM-70, which was firing at locations in the Russian city of Belgorod.
The secret behind the effectiveness of Iskander-M missiles
The notorious Iskander rocket system, known as Russia's "boogeyman," was developed in the early '90s when Russia sought to create a successor to the Tochka-U system. The Iskander saw its first test launch in 1996 but was only incorporated into the Russian military arsenal a decade later.
The Iskander is a short-range ballistic system that can strike targets about 311 miles away. It carries two missiles, each with a warhead weight between approximately 1058 and 1543 pounds. The warheads can be of various types, including fragmentation-explosive, thermobaric, or nuclear, with a 50 kt yield.
The combination of its immense destructive capability and its evasion of most anti-aircraft systems presents a significant challenge. It achieves such evasion with a staggering speed of up to Mach 7 (about 5333 mph), rendering common handheld systems like PPZR Piorun, Mistral, or FIM-92 Stinger - which are effective against slower, non-maneuvering missiles - incapable of intercepting it.
Gun systems like Gepard or short-range systems like NASAMS or IRIS-T are similarly ineffective. In practice, only systems like S-300, Patriot, and SAMP/T can intercept ballistic missiles, and even then, within about 40 kilometres (25 miles) of the launcher. Unfortunately, Ukraine struggles to protect critical infrastructure like power plants or key frontline facilities without such systems.
