Otrk "Iskander": performance characteristics, history and application. Iskander missile system. "Iskander-M" (missile system): characteristics Composition of the Iskander complex
DATA FOR 2017 (standard update, v.2)
9K715 Iskander complex, 9M723 missile - SS-X-26 STONE
Complex 9K720 "Iskander-M", missile 9M723-1 - SS-26 STONE-A
Complex 9K720E "Iskander-E", missile 9M723E - SS-26 STONE-B
Complex 9K720 "Iskander-M", missile 9M728 / R-500 ("Iskander-K") - SS-26 STONE-S
Operational-tactical missile system/ multi-purpose modular missile system ground forces. The development of the complex was carried out using developments in the complexes " ", " ", " " and " ". It is also likely that the complex was created taking into account the research work " " on the study of the concept of a multifunctional missile system of the ground forces of a modular type. The origins of the development of the complex date back to the Iskander research work, carried out since 1978. On the topic of research, the possibility of placing two OTR class OTR 9M79 " " on the SPU of a similar SPU of the 9K714 "Oka" complex was studied. The main goal is to create an OTR with a range of up to 400 km to replace the complex with the 8K14 missile with increased combat performance, as well as to ensure guaranteed destruction of particularly important targets with two missiles. According to unconfirmed reports, the Iskander research project was stopped in the first half of the 1980s at the stage of testing the targeting system and missile control systems.
The development of the Iskander complex in its original form began at the Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau (Kolomna, hereinafter - KBM) on an initiative basis by order of the chief designer S.P. Nepobedimy and under his leadership in 1987. KBM's competitor in the development of the new generation OTR was Tula The Instrument Design Bureau under the leadership of A.G. Shipunov proposed its own. The resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on financing the design work of the complex was issued in 1988. When creating the complex, the task was set to ensure interaction within the RUK "Equality" with the M-55 target designation aircraft (developed by RUK - NIIEMI). The original project may have planned to use the SPU 9P76 with one missile. The KShM of the RUK "Equality" was designed on the MAZ-543 chassis (the KShM is similar to the KShM "Polyana").
Self-propelled launcher 9P78-1 of the 9K720 Iskander-M missile system with a 9M723 missile during exercises of the missile brigade in Primorye, November 14-18, 2016 (http://smitsmitty.livejournal.com/).
Prototype development self-propelled units was carried out by the Central Design Bureau "Titan". The prototype of the two-missile SPU Br-1555-1 was developed by the Titan Design Bureau on the basis of the BAZ-69501 chassis by 1991. At site 4C ("4-old") of the Strategic Missile Forces Kapustin Yar training ground (4th GCMP) in the summer of 1991 from installation Several throw-in launches were carried out (including two-missile salvo launches). In most sources, the Br-1555-1 SPU appears as a “mock-up test site sample” of the launcher. The development of SPU on the BAZ-69501 chassis has not been completed. Also, in some sources the index “9P81” has been replicated, but whether it has a real relation to the Iskander / Iskander-M complexes or is a fiction (error) has not been established.
In 1990-1992 CDB "Titan" developed and manufactured the first prototype SPU 9P76 on the BAZ-6954 chassis. Presumably, the development of a new type of SPU on the new BAZ chassis was carried out earlier in parallel with the development of the Br-1555-1 SPU. The first launch from the new SPU was carried out in the summer of 1992. Further, in 1992, tests were continued with a second launch. During 1993, 5 launches were carried out from SPU 9P76 No. 1. In 1994-1997 prototypes of the 9M723 missile, presumably with a cassette warhead, were tested from the SPU. In total, more than 10 launches were made.
Site No. 231 of the Kapustin Yar test site where the Iskander missile system was tested (https://www.bing.com, 2016).
Testing of Iskander missiles with SPU 9P76, Kapustin Yar test site (TV program "Strike Force").
For testing, 2 single-missile SPU 9P76 (samples No. 1 and No. 2) were manufactured on the BAZ-6954 chassis and 2 transport vehicles 9T246, probably on the same chassis. The tests were carried out at the same site 4C of the 4th State Medical Center Kapustin Yar. The second copy of the SPU 9P76 was used to test the rocket launcher and was used for launches at the Kapustin Yar test site a limited number of times. Thus, tests of the first versions of the Iskander complex were carried out from 1991 to 1997. Moreover, already on October 25, 1995, the completion of tests of the Iskander missile system was announced at Krasnaya Zvezda.
KBM specialists and testers are working at the landing site of the Iskander missile. Second from left is Deputy Head of the Scientific and Technical Department of KBM I.N. Kotkov. Kapustin Yar training ground, 1990s - early 2000s (processed).
After the first launches of Iskander OTR prototypes, a decision was made to change the approach to the concept of using the complex towards a “multi-purpose modular missile system of the ground forces” with different types of missiles. In 1993, the technical specifications for the Iskander-M complex were approved. Work on the complex was continued by a team of KBM specialists under the leadership of the chief designer of the department Oleg Mamalyga. In 1995, the first experimental two-missile SPU 9P78 was manufactured on the MZKT-7930 chassis (9P78 version 1, see figure below). Tests of the complex with the experimental SPU 9P78 version 1 have been carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site since 1995:
- since 1995, throwing and autonomous range tests have been carried out, an experiment was conducted with the suspension of a cruise missile;
- field testing of the complex began in 1997;
- in 1999, at the 71st RV site of the Kapustin Yar test site, State tests of the Iskander-M complex began, which were completed with 9M723 ballistic missiles with a new version of the cluster warhead in August 2004 (probably 9M723K5 or its prototype).
In total, during tests with SPU 9P78, 9P78-1 No. 1 and No. 2, 13 launches of 9M723 missiles were carried out. As of April 2004, 10 launches were carried out as part of state tests, and later 3 more launches were made. State tests were successfully completed in 2004 ().
Development of the 9M728 cruise missile as one of the types combat equipment missile complex was carried out by the Novator Design Bureau (Ekaterinburg) under the general leadership of P.I. Kamnev. In 2007 based on the results of successful launches cruise missiles 9M728 (R&D "Iskander"), a decision was made to move in 2008 to the final stage of testing the Iskander-M complex in the final expanded composition of fire weapons ().
Serial production and adoption. Production of the MZKT-7930 chassis was started by the MZKT plant (Minsk) in 1998. State tests of the basic version of the Iskander complex were supposed to be completed in 2000, but began at the 71st site of the RV NE of the Kapustin Yar training ground in 2001. and were completed only in August 2004 (as of April 2004, 10 launches were carried out as part of state tests, later at least 5-6 more).
The 9K720 Iskander-M complex was put into service in a truncated composition in 2004 and in 2005 the complex began to enter combat units (630th ORDN of the 60th Combat Use Center, Kapustin Yar). In 2006, the 9K720 Iskander-M complex (Previously it was believed that this name was purely a media invention, but in the second half of 2009 we established the reliability of the name based on documents on open government contracts)fully adopted by the Russian Armed Forces with ballistic missiles of the 9M723 type(source - plate to SPU 9P76 of the complex in the open part of the museum of the Kapustin Yar test site) . Planned (2008) start of mass production - 2010. Completion of deployment of the army group according to plan (2008-2009) - 2015. Missiles are produced at the Votkinsk plant, self-propelled launchers and TZM - PO "Barricades" (Volgograd, in series since 2006, production capacity for 2008 - 12 complexes per year), chassis - Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (Minsk, Belarus). "Iskander-E" is an export version of the complex with a reduced range and conventional warheads. It is likely that the original design of the Iskander missile system envisaged the use of several types of ballistic missiles. The formation of the first military missile brigade was completed in 2010 ().
According to plans announced at the beginning of 2011, during the implementation of the state armaments program for 2011-2020. (adopted on December 31, 2010) it is planned to supply 10 missile brigades of Iskander-M complexes to the armed forces. On August 1, 2011, Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia D. Bulgakov stated that it is planned to adopt a total of 120 Iskander complexes (i.e. 12 SPU per brigade) into service with the Russian Armed Forces. In 2011, a contract was concluded between the Russian Ministry of Defense and NPK KBM for the supply of 10 brigade sets of Iskander-M complexes with ballistic and cruise missiles - each set includes 12 launchers, 12 transport-loading vehicles, 11 command-and-control vehicles. staff vehicles, 14 life support vehicles, one information preparation point, one regulatory vehicle Maintenance, a set of training aids, a set of portable automated workstations, a set of arsenal equipment and a military supply of two types of missiles (). The delivery of the first such set was carried out in June 2013. The delivery of the second set is planned for the fall of 2013. Until 2018, the 2011 program can be completed at this rate. When handing over the first set on June 28, 2013, it was stated that the missile brigades are not ready to provide storage of the received complexes - there are no properly equipped heated and air-conditioned boxes. Storing equipment outside ensures equipment wear and tear of 50% per season. There and at the same time, information was made public that the combat use control and target designation system of the Iskander-M complexes had not been developed and not accepted for service ().
On February 10, 2014, the media reported that a new type of missile was being created for the Iskander-M missile system ().
Hypothetical 2009-2010 - In our opinion, the Iskander complex went through three stages in the process of creation:
1) Research and development project "Iskander"- the first version of the 9M723 missile and complex - was studied in the OTR configuration of the ground forces as part of preliminary research based on the ideas contained in the Uran, Oka and Tochka projects, which were carried out in the mid-1980s or even earlier. There is evidence that the development of some components of the missile control system and complex within the framework of the Iskander project was carried out until 1986 at SKB-626 (now NPO Automation named after Academician N.A. Semikhatov, Miass). The complex was supposedly intended to replace the 9K72 SCUD-B complexes in the USSR Armed Forces according to the principle - 1 Iskander SPU with 2 missiles instead of a battery of 9K72 complexes, and taking into account high precision- instead of the 9K72 division. Perhaps it was intended to use a two-missile non-floating SPU similar in design to the SPU of the Oka-U complex on a BAZ chassis. The missile and complex were supposed to implement the following technological solutions: implementation of topographical reference at any point along the route, receiving target designation from external sources of information in real time, retargeting the missile after launch, using correlation seekers at the final stage of the trajectory, minimal radar signature of the missile and a set of measures for overcoming a potential missile defense system, entering data into the missile control system inside the SPU before transferring the missile to the launch position (first implemented by 1972 on the Temp-2S ICBM), controlling the missile throughout the entire flight path.
2) 9K715 "Iskander" / OKR "Tender"- second version of the rocket 9M723 and complex - was created starting in 1987 as a replacement for OTR Oka and 9K72 SCUD-B. Tests began in 1991 at the Kapustin Yar test site, the weight of the warhead was reduced. Tests were carried out using test site PU, SPU 9P81 and 9P78. Based on this version of the rocket, it was created and is being promoted to the market. original version the Iskander-E complex, tests of which were carried out approximately in 1995-2001. (as part of missile testing 9M723 ). According to fragmentary data and an interview with chief designer O.I. Mamalyga (2004), Iskander-E carries 1 missile on the SPU.
3) 9K720 "Iskander-M"- the third option is a modular multifunctional complex created using the results of the Volna research project. Fire weapons:
- basic model - "Iskander-M" with 9M723 missile (" 9M723 third option") - the characteristics of the rocket have been noticeably changed - a more modern mixed fuel and a control system for both the rocket and the complex, built on a new element base, are used.
- export version of the Iskander-E with the 9M723 missile.
- development - "Iskander-K" with a cruise missile in the TPK. The SPU 9P78-1 is used with the SPU 1 TPK mounted on one boom. testing started in May 2007
This system is intended only for the Russian Armed Forces. Tests were carried out in 2001-2005. Based on the universal two-missile SPU 9P78-1.
P.S. Based on the concept of a modular multifunctional complex, the launch units of the Iskander-M complex can use different fire weapons - cruise missiles (Iskander-K), including simultaneously (one arrow is a ballistic missile, the other is a cruise missile), operational-tactical missiles increased range, etc. A chassis based on the MZKT-7930 "Astrologer" made according to this concept by replacing modules can be quickly rebuilt for SPU of other types of fire weapons.
Launcher:
- experimental wheeled SPU Br-1555-1 /polygon prototype launcher(1991) - the development of prototypes of self-propelled units was carried out by the Titan Central Design Bureau. The prototype of the two-missile SPU Br-1555-1 was developed by the Titan Design Bureau on the basis of the BAZ-69501 chassis by 1991. At site 4C ("4-old") of the Strategic Missile Forces Kapustin Yar training ground (4th GCMP) in the summer of 1991 from installation Several throw-in launches were carried out (including two-missile salvo launches). In most sources, the Br-1555-1 SPU appears as a “mock-up test site sample” of the launcher. The development of the SPU on the BAZ-69501 chassis was not completed. Until 2011, we believed that there was a separate test site mock-up launcher, but, as it turned out, this was not true.
Experimental two-missile self-propelled launcher Br-1555-1 of the Iskander complex. Probably, the SPU is equipped with a missile version for throw-out launches. Kapustin Yar training ground, 1991 (photo from the archive of the user "Random", published on June 30, 2011).
The prototype of the SPU 9P76 chassis is the BAZ-69501 chassis (Vasiliev V. To the 40th anniversary of the Bryansk Automobile Plant. // Equipment and weapons. No. 2 / 1999).
During the first stage of testing at the Kapustin Yar test site, the launch of the complex’s missiles and the operation of launch systems were tested from this launcher. The peculiarity of the launch of the Iskander missile is the use of a lifting boom of the launcher and detachable missile mounting bands. After the lower ring of the bandage is released from the boom locks and the main plug connector is uncoupled, a command is issued to activate the squibs holding the bandages (two squibs for each bandage). The bandages are shot off, the holes for the mounting pins in the rocket body are closed with spring-loaded covers - in order to reduce the EPR of the rocket.
In the photograph of the launch of the Iskander missile, a cloud is clearly visible that arose as a result of the shooting of the upper yoke clip (Missile and artillery weapons. Catalog "Weapons of Russia". M., Military Parade, 2004).
Shooting the upper yoke clip during the launch of a 9M723K5 rocket, Kapustin Yar test site, 08/22/2011 (photo by Vadim Savitsky, http://twower.livejournal.com).
- SPU 9P81- the index “9P81” has been replicated in some sources, but whether it has a real relation to the Iskander / Iskander-M complexes or is a fiction (error) has not been established.
- experimental wheeled SPU 9P76 on the BAZ-6954 chassis - The SPU was designed by the Titan Design Bureau (design bureau of the Barrikady plant), the first prototype 9P76 was manufactured in 1992. Presumably, the development of a new type of SPU on the new BAZ chassis was previously carried out in parallel with the development of the Br-1555-1 SPU. The SPU chassis was developed within the framework of the research project "Facet" of the Bryansk Automobile Plant Design Bureau on the basis of the BAZ-69501 chassis in 1990-1992, the head of the design bureau is V.B. Vyushkin, chief designer chassis - V.P. Trusov (since 1997 - Yu.A. Shpak). The SPU is not floating, it carries one missile; in the front part of the body with the rocket there is a gas turbine electric generator that provides power to the SPU.
The first launch from the new SPU was carried out in the summer of 1992. Further, in 1992, tests were continued with a second launch. During 1993, 5 launches were carried out from SPU 9P76 No. 1. In 1994-1997 prototypes of the 9M723 missile, presumably with a cassette warhead, were tested from the SPU. In total, more than 10 launches were made. For testing, a total of 2 single-missile SPU 9P76 (samples No. 1 and No. 2) were manufactured on the BAZ-6954 chassis and 2 transport vehicles 9T246, probably on the same chassis. The tests were carried out at site 4C of the 4th State Medical Center Kapustin Yar. The second copy of the SPU 9P76 was used to test the rocket launcher and was used for launches at the Kapustin Yar test site a limited number of times.
TTX SPU 9P76:
Engines - 2 x diesel KamAZ-740 with a power of 210 hp each, each engine runs on its own side
Wheel formula - 8 x 8
Length - 11.3 m
Width - 3.08 m
Height - 3.05 m
Ground clearance - 470 mm
Total weight - 36000 kg
Curb weight - 18500 kg
Load capacity - 17100 kg
Highway speed - 60 km/h
Fuel range - 682 km
Calculation - 4 people
Experimental self-propelled launcher 9P76 of the Iskander complex, Kapustin Yar training ground, 1992-1996. (photo from the archive of the user "Random", published on June 30, 2011).
Experimental SPU 9P76 on the BAZ-6954 chassis at the Kapustin Yar training ground (TV show “Serving Russia!”, TV channel “Zvezda”, 12/17/2006)
Drawing of an experimental SPU 9P76 on a BAZ-6954 chassis, a lifting boom from the Oka complex is mistakenly drawn (probably the drawing was made on the basis of TV material from the Zvezda TV channel, http://www.military.cz).
Experimental self-propelled launcher 9P76 of the Iskander complex on the BAZ-6954 chassis, open museum equipment of the Kapustin Yar training ground, summer 2016 (photo from the archive of the user "Sluchany", published on October 21, 2016).
- wheeled SPU 9P78- after changing the concept of the Iskander complex, starting in 1993, work has been underway to redesign the SPU on the MZKT-7930 chassis for two launch booms with different types combat load (OTR, KR). In 1995, a new SPU 9P78 was manufactured. Launches from it began in the same 1995. Later, SPU 9P78 was converted into SPU 9P78-1 - the body was modernized. Probably the reason for the modernization was the refusal to place some types of combat load on the complex.
- wheeled SPU 9P78-1(apparently not earlier than 1994) - MZKT-79301 chassis (two missiles on SPU with separate lifting booms). In our opinion, this is a prototype or the first series of the Iskander SPU on the MZKT chassis, the visible differences from the 9P78-1 are insignificant. It is possible that the SPU 9P78 can only launch 9M723 ballistic missiles. The installation was designed by the Titan Central Design Bureau (design bureau of the Barrikady plant). The MZKT-7930 "Astrologer" chassis was developed by SKB-1 of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant in 1990 (prototype). Serial production of the chassis began in 1998. Chassis tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site, test tracks of the NIIIAT RF Ministry of Defense and public roads. After a 30,000-mile run, the tractor was tested in a climate chamber at a temperature of -50°C, then in a wind tunnel, where resistance to shock waves was assessed.
SPU 9P78-1 version 1 with a 9M723 missile, in the pre-launch position the left of the two missiles, late 1990s - early 2000s (http://milparade.com, according to RIA Novosti, photo taken 11/07/2008 , which is not true).
- universal wheeled SPU 9P78-1 / 9P78-1E (serial modification, appearance - 2001-2005) on the MZKT-7930 chassis (apparently model MZKT-79305) "Astrologer" (two missiles on the SPU with separate lifting booms - ballistic or cruise or a combination of ballistic and cruise). The TZM 9T250 on the MZKT-79305 chassis carries two missiles and is equipped with a jib crane. The unit was designed by the Central Design Bureau "Titan" (design bureau of the "Barricades" plant) and produced by the "Barricades" Production Association (Volgograd) on the chassis of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (Minsk, Belarus). Serial production of SPU and TZM began in 2006, the production capabilities of the Barrikady PA, according to data for 2008, are 12 complexes per year. As of 2014 - 2 brigade sets per year.
The complex's vehicles are air transportable by An-124 class aircraft. In the front part of the body with missiles there is a gas turbine electric generator, which is part of the power and air conditioning unit (controlled from the driver's remote control). Presumably, a laser sighting optical system is placed in the body for placing the GPS missile in the launch plane and entering flight mission numbers into the on-board computer before launching in a horizontal position. Perhaps the SPU 9P78-1 differs from the 9P78 in that it can use both old and new types of missiles (see the stages of development of the complex above), and also, probably, the SPU 9P78-1 is universal and is used as part of the Iskander complexes -M" and "Iskander-K".
Engine - diesel YaMZ-846 with a power of 500 hp, manual gearbox YaMZ-202.04 (9/2) with clutch YaMZ-151-10, MZKT-79306 - diesel Deutz BF8M105C with a power of 544 hp. with 5-speed hydromechanical transmission Allison HD4560P.
Wheel formula - 8 x 8 (the first two axles are rotary)
Length - approx. 13070 mm
Width - 3070 mm
Height - approx. 3290 mm
Ground clearance - 400 mm
Tires - R25 with adjustable pressure
Gross weight - 40000-43200 kg (up to 45000 kg on the chassis)
Chassis curb weight - 21000 kg
Load capacity:
MZKT-79301 - 22200 kg
MZKT-79305 - 25000 kg
- MZKT-79306 - 24000 kg
Permissible axial mass (MZKT-79306):
- front axles - 21800 kg
- rear axles - 23200 kg
Highway speed - 70 km/h
Speed by dirt road- 40 km/h
Cross-country speed - 20 km/h
Fording depth - 1.4 m
Fuel range - 1000 km
Calculation - 3 people (2 people TZM)
Missile launch sector - 180 degrees.
Chassis MZKT-79306 is a close analogue of MZKT-79305 (The equipment is not knowing the barriers. Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Booklet, 2009).
SPU 9P78-1 version 2 of the 9K720 Iskander-M complex, rehearsal of the Victory Parade in Moscow, 04/26/2011. The last two photos are 05/03/2011 (photo - Vitaly Kuzmin, http://vitalykuzmin.net).
SPU of the operational-tactical complex "Iskander-M" / "Iskander-K" at the 231st site of the 4th GCM training ground of the Russian Ministry of Defense, 2010 (4 interspecific: the 21st century begins. 4 GCM of the Russian Ministry of Defense, 2011.
SPU 9P78-1 board No. 811, probably the 630th ORDN after the missile launch, Kapustin Yar test site, 08/22/2011 (photo by Vadim Savitsky, http://twower.livejournal.com).
Serial military SPU 9P78-1 of the Iskander-M complex. 26th Neman Red Banner Missile Brigade. 10.20.2011 (photo - Alexey Danichev, http://sputniknews.com).
SPU 9P78-1 with cruise missiles of the 9K720 Iskander-M missile system of the first production brigade set on the day of transfer of equipment to the 107th RBR. Kapustin Yar, 06/28/2013 (http://i-korotchenko.livejournal.com).
SPU 9P78-1 version 2 and TZM 9T250 of the 9K720 Iskander-M complex, rehearsal of the Victory Parade in Moscow, 05/03/2011 (photo - Andrey Kryuchenko, http://a-andreich.livejournal.com).
New SPU BAZ- in February 2007, at an off-site meeting of the military-industrial commission on the basis of NPO Almaz, the management of PA BAZ announced that on the basis of the Voshchina-1 chassis and/or on the basis of the developing promising Voshchina-2 chassis, a SPU would be created for complex "Iskander". No other information available.
Complex missiles.
Ballistic missile 9M723(the 9M728 cruise missile is described in a separate article - " "
):
Design single-stage missiles with an inseparable warhead. Much attention is paid to reducing the RCS - there are no protruding parts, holes and noticeable joints, the cable garrot is minimized as much as possible on the first versions of the rockets and is made in the form of a thin train on the surface of the rocket body on more modern series, the aerodynamic control surfaces are replaced with swept ones instead of lattice ones. A special heat-protective coating of the body is used, which can probably serve as a coating that reduces the ESR.
The 9M723-1 missile of the Iskander-M complex. Kubinka, Army 2015 forum, 06/17/2015 (photo - Sergey Karpukhin, Reuters).
The 9M723-1 missile of the Iskander-M complex. Kubinka, forum "Army 2016" (September 2016).
Projections of 9M723 missiles of the 9K720 Iskander-M complex (, 11/06/2016).
According to the scheme previously adopted for OTR complexes, the missile of the complex (for example, 9M723K5) includes a missile part (for example, 9M723) and a warhead (for example, 9N722K5).
According to information available in 2011, missile units 9M723 and 9M723-1 are mentioned.
A mock-up of the Iskander-E missile with the 9M723 missile part at the exhibition "Technologies in Mechanical Engineering - 2010", Moscow, 30.06 - 04.07.2010 (http://maks.sukhoi.ru).
Cable gargrot on the old model of the missile complex (on the left, probably 9M723) and on the new one (on the right, probably 9M723-1). Stills from the films "Strike Force".
Fragments of the design of the 9M723K5 rocket (probably). Stills from a report on the receipt of 9K720 Iskander-M systems by the 26th Missile Brigade in Luga, 10/21/2011 (NTV channel).
Training missile 9M723 during reloading from the TZM 9T250 of the 9K720 Iskander-M complex to the SPU 9P87-1. Publication no later than 2015 (photo - Dmitry Rogulin,).
Presumably, during group launches of 9K720 Iskander-M complexes during the Center-2011 exercises, missiles with a 9M723-1 missile unit were used, Kapustin Yar training ground, 09/22/2011 (http://www.mil.ru).
Ballistic missile 9M723 of the 9K720 Iskander-M missile system in a transport container. The photo was taken at the ceremony of handing over the first serial brigade set of equipment of the 107th RBR. Kapustin Yar, 06/28/2013 (http://i-korotchenko.livejournal.com).
The same moment - a frame from the TV channel "Zvezda" (http://www.mil.ru).
Containers 9YA293-E with missiles for the Iskander-E complexes of the Armenian armed forces (09/22/2016, footage from an Armenian television report).
Control and guidance system - The rocket's control system is autonomous inertial (developed by TsNIIAG, Moscow), the rocket is controlled by the control system throughout the entire flight. The control system is built on the basis of a gyro-stabilized platform (GSP) and a digital computer (analogue of DAVU OTR "Tochka"). When using missiles with a seeker, the on-board computer of the missile's inertial control system adjusts the trajectory according to the seeker data. Control is carried out using aerodynamic and gas-jet rudders and, probably, on the 9M723-1 rocket part gas-dynamically using shunting reusable solid propellant rocket engines or using a gas generator. The warhead is inseparable.
Deep modernization and experimental testing of the previously developed command gyroscopic device (a set of gyroscopic devices) for the Iskander / Iskander-M missiles was carried out by NPO Electromechanics (Miass). State tests were successfully completed in 2004. Serial production of gyroscopic devices is carried out there ( see - Annual report of JSC "NPO Electromechanics...", ).
Autocollimator (left) and automatic gyrocompass of the first SPU of the Iskander complex developed by the Arsenal Design Bureau (Kiev), footage from Ukrainian television.
The topographic reference system of the complex's launch unit can interact with space navigation systems such as NAVSTAR and GLONASS. Input of targeting data into missiles (alignment of the GPS in the launch plane and entry of flight mission numbers into the on-board computer) occurs automatically when the missiles are in a horizontal position inside the SPU, probably using an improved optical system for aligning the missile's GPS using a laser optical device (since on the SPU there are no light guides typical for light systems - see "Tochka" and "Oka"). Entering goal data takes little time and before the start, goal data can be adjusted based on information from an external source. With an interval of 1 minute, the complex can strike two missiles at two different targets. The flight trajectory is flat ("quasi-ballistic"), possibly with the ability to maneuver in some missile variants.
Automatic gyrocompass (AGC) supports in the central part of the SPU 9P78-1 ().
Probably wind sensors on SPU 9P78-1 board No. 811, apparently from the 630th ORDN. Kapustin Yar training ground, August 22, 2011 (photo by Vadim Savitsky, http://twower.livejournal.com).
The GLONASS system equipment on the SPU type 9P78-1 is represented by a portable receiver-indicator 14Ts821 "Grot-V" ("portable"). The receiver indicator antenna is located on the roof of the SPU cabin. The product has been developed and mass-produced by the Research Institute of KP since 2001.
Probably the on-board digital computer (DAVU) of the Iskander missiles ( http://youtube.com)
Command-gyroscopic device (gyro-stabilized platform), automation unit and on-board computer (DAVU) on 9M723 missiles of the Iskander complex. Photo from the area of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict (August 2008) and a still from the films of the “Strike Force” series ( http://youtube.com)
Porthole of the optical aiming system of the gyroscopic devices of the 9M723 missile (http://militaryphotos.net).
Probably the optical aiming system of the missile's gyroscopic devices on the SPU 9P78 (frame from the promotional film of the Central Design Bureau "Titan", http://youtube.com)
For comparison, systems similar in purpose are installed on the control systems of the Oka (left) and Tochka-U (right) complexes.
Internal structure of the Iskander-M complex equipped with the R-500 SPU 9P78-1 cruise missile, Kapustin Yar, 10.30.2015 (video footage from the Russian Ministry of Defense, http://mil.ru).
Presumably a standard theodolite for maintenance of the SPU targeting system at a firing range position. Sighting is carried out on the base reflector of the automatic gyrocompass and then, through a second portable theodolite, in several steps the reference point is snapped and the azimuth of the base launch direction is checked. The photo shows the SPU of the 9K720 Iskander-M complex during launches to test a new type of combat equipment, Kapustin Yar training ground, 10/11/2011 (Zvezda TV channel).
In addition to missiles with an inertial control system, missiles with seekers of two types can also be used, which are activated at the final stage of flight (according to our assessment, they are not in service as of 2009, they are probably being tested starting in 2004 or later). The seeker at the final section of the trajectory corrects the operation of the inertial control system of the rocket (estimated, cannot be used on the Iskander-E):
- radar correlation seeker- developed by TsNIIAG (Moscow) in the late 1980s on the topic “Volga”, the missile is aimed by comparing a digital map of the area in the target area and radar seeker data;
- optical correlation seeker 9E436 - developed by TsNIIAG (Moscow), the missile is aimed at a reference image of the target, similar to the seeker of the 8K14-1F missile. The GOS was presented for the first time at the Eurosatory-2004 exhibition.
GOS mass - 20 kg
Flight task entry time - no more than 5 minutes
KVO - up to 20 m
Optical seeker 9E436 for OTR "Iskander" at the TsNIIAG stand at the MVSV-2004 exhibition
- radar active seeker 9B918 - developed and produced by NPP "Radar MMS" as of 2009. In 2009 it is planned mass production 22 primary information processing units for the seeker 9B918 of 9M723-1F missiles in 2010-2011.
Option 1 (possibly 9N722K1 or another) - cassette warhead - R&D - Design Bureau of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant. Weight 480 kg, 54 combat elements, warhead deployment height - 900-1400 m, combat element activation height - 6-10 m, the use of this type of warhead with an optical or radar correlation seeker is assessed by us as unlikely.
Types of combat elements:
1. fragmentation non-contact
2. cumulative fragmentation
3. self-aiming
4. volumetric detonating
Option 2 (possibly 9N722K1 or another) - cassette warhead with 45 9N730 combat elements developed and produced by GosNIIMash (Dzerzhinsk) with a central explosive charge (CRZ) 9N731. As of 2008, it is in serial production in the experimental workshop 4510 of GosNIIMash (production of 16 sets of equipment per year). In 2009, the labor intensity of manufacturing the 9N730 combat element was 16.23 standard hours, the CRZ - 30 standard hours. Proximity fuses 9E156 "Umbrella" for combat elements of cassette warheads were developed by the Research Institute of Electronic Devices (Novosibirsk,).
- Rocket 9M723-1F / 9M723-1FE- a missile with a radar seeker 9B918 developed and produced by NPP Radar MMS. Developed as of 2009
- Complex 9K720E "Iskander-E", missile 9M720E / 9M723E- export modification of the complex with SPU 9P78-1E,
- Complex "Iskander-MKR"- during the IMDS-2005 exhibition it was announced that a rocket would be created on the basis of the Iskander OTR sea-based.
- Rocket 9M723, version 2016- in September-October 2016, rocket launches were carried out at the Kaputsin Yar test site, the footage of which has been posted in Youtube network in October 2016 Rocket by appearance differs from previously known versions of the 9M723 missile.
Missile type 9M723 version 2016 (video footage from Youtube).
High-precision missile system of the ground forces "Iskander" Designed for covert preparation and delivery of effective missile strikes against particularly important small-sized and area targets.
It was created as a result of the joint work of a group of research institutes, design bureaus and factories under the leadership of the Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau (KBM), known as the company that created the Tochka and Oka missile systems.
Under the conditions of the 1987 INF Treaty and the cessation of the use of nuclear weapons in theaters of operations, a number of fundamentally new requirements are imposed on modern tactical systems:
- the use of only non-nuclear weapons;
- ensuring precision shooting accuracy;
- control along the entire flight path;
- a wide range of effective combat equipment;
- availability of an automation system in the complex combat control and information support systems, including the preparation of reference information for correction and final guidance systems;
- possibility of integration with global satellite navigation systems (GSSN - GLONASS, NAVSTAR);
- the ability to hit heavily protected targets;
- increased fire performance;
- the ability to effectively overcome the effects of air defense and missile defense systems;
- the ability to hit moving targets.
To meet the above requirements, the missile system was created “ Iskander", which incorporates the best scientific, technical and design achievements in the field of operational-tactical missile systems and, in total, implemented technical solutions, high combat effectiveness is a weapon of a completely new generation, superior in its tactical and technical characteristics existing RK "Scud-B", "Tochka-U", "Lance", "ATASMS", "Pluton", etc.
Iskander is designed to destroy:
- enemy fire weapons (air defense missile systems, missile defense batteries);
- airplanes and helicopters at airfield parking lots;
- air defense and missile defense facilities;
- command posts and communication centers;
- critical civil infrastructure facilities.
Thanks to the implementation of terminal control and guidance methods, control along the entire flight path, a wide range of powerful combat units and the integration of onboard control systems with various correction and homing systems, as well as the high probability of completing a combat mission in conditions of active enemy counteraction, typical targets are hit by launching just 1– 2 Iskander missiles, which is equivalent in effectiveness to the use of nuclear weapons.
For the first time in the world, a missile system with a firing range not exceeding 300 km is capable of solving everything combat missions using non-nuclear warheads and has two missiles on the launcher, which significantly increases the fire performance of missile formations.
Main features of the Iskander rocket launcher:
- highly accurate and effective destruction various types goals;
- the possibility of covert training, combat duty and effective missile strikes;
- automatic calculation and input of missile flight missions using launcher means;
- high probability of completing a combat mission in the face of active enemy opposition;
- high probability of trouble-free functioning of the rocket during preparation for launch, as well as in flight;
- high tactical maneuverability thanks to high cross-country ability combat vehicles mounted on all-wheel drive chassis,
- strategic mobility due to the transportability of vehicles by all modes of transport, including transport aviation;
- automation of combat control of missile units,
- prompt processing and communication of intelligence information to the appropriate management levels;
- long service life and ease of use.
The Iskander, in its tactical and technical characteristics, fully complies with the provisions of the Missile Technology Non-Proliferation Control Regime. This is a "weapon of deterrence" in local conflicts, and for countries with limited living space - a strategic weapon.
According to NATO classification, the complex received the designation SS-26.
The complex includes:
- rocket;
- self-propelled launcher;
- transport-charging machine;
- command and control vehicle;
- moving point preparation of information;
- mobile units of technical and household support, as well as sets of arsenal and training equipment.
The Iskander can be equipped with cluster (with 54 combat elements), penetrating, high-explosive fragmentation, and in the future other warheads.
The rocket itself is single-stage, has a solid-fuel engine with one nozzle, and is controlled along the entire flight path using aerodynamic and gas-dynamic rudders. The designers included in the Iskander the potential to overcome missile defense, comparable today only to the Topol-M. Calculated data show that the promising American Patriot air defense system PAC-3 Iskander will be too tough for itself.
The flight path of the Iskander is not ballistic, but controlled. The missile constantly changes its trajectory plane, which dictates the need for air defense system developers to invent new interception methods. She maneuvers especially actively during her acceleration and approach to the target - with an overload of 20 to 30 g. In order to intercept an Iskander, the anti-missile missile must move along a trajectory with an overload two to three times higher, and this is practically impossible. In addition, the rocket is made using the technology " stealth"and has a minimal reflective surface.
The missile is launched directly at the target using an inertial control system, and then captured by an autonomous optical homing head. A similar homing principle is implemented in the most modern American cruise missiles. Tomahawk" And CALCM, capable of identifying the terrain in the target area based on previously entered photographic data. The effectiveness of such guidance systems was confirmed during US military operations in Iraq and Yugoslavia.
Similar equipment for the Iskander was created by the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics, the leading domestic developer of guidance and control systems for tactical and operational-tactical missiles. Moreover, the homing head created at TsNIIAG can also be used on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types. The head has already passed flight tests and has shown accuracy worse than that what the Americans achieved with their Tomahawks.
The operating principle of the Iskander homing system is that optical equipment forms an image of the terrain in the target area, which is compared by the on-board computer with a standard entered during the preparation of the missile for launch. All existing active agents are powerless against the optical head. electronic warfare. It is so sensitive that it allows successful missile launches even on moonless nights, when there is no additional natural target illumination, hitting a moving target with an error of plus or minus two meters. No other tactical system in the world can solve such a problem, except for the Iskander.
In addition, optical systems do not require signals from space radio navigation systems, such as the American NAVSTAR, which in crisis situations can be turned off by its owners or disabled by radio interference. At the same time, the integration of inertial control with satellite navigation equipment and an optical seeker makes it possible to create a missile that can hit a given target in almost any imaginable conditions.
The practice of wars of recent decades shows that no matter how effective a weapon is, it cannot make a significant contribution to victory if it is not integrated with intelligence and control systems. "Iskander" was created taking into account this pattern. Information about the target is transmitted from a satellite, reconnaissance aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle aircraft to the information preparation point (IPP). It calculates the flight mission for the missile, which is then transmitted via radio channels to the command and staff vehicles (CSVs) of the division and battery commanders, and from there to the launchers. Commands to launch missiles can be generated either in the command post or from the control centers of senior artillery commanders. The PPI and KShM equipment is built on local networks Russian computers, and the functionality of the control set depends only on the software and can be easily upgraded to control various fire weapons.
The most important feature of the launcher was the placement of more than one on it (as in “ Point" And " Oke"), but two missiles. One minute after the first one is launched, the second one can start. The fire crew does not leave the cabin. The launcher itself was developed by the Volgograd Central Design Bureau "Titan" and, in addition to missiles, carries a full set of equipment for preparation and launch.
The long firing range, allowing the complex to be used from the depths of friendly troops, and the short time spent at the starting position make the complex practically invulnerable to conventional means defeats.
Research conducted by specialists from leading Russian military research centers has shown that, according to the “effectiveness-cost” criterion, the Iskander missile system is 5–8 times superior to the best foreign analogues.
The structure of the complex, its control systems, automated combat control and information support make it possible to quickly respond to new requirements without significant modification of its combat assets and, as a result, guarantee it a long life cycle.
OTRK "Iskander-M" / Photo: Press service of the Russian Defense Ministry
The Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system (OTRK) received a new aeroballistic missile.
“Now the Iskander-M OTRK can be equipped with five types of aeroballistic missiles and one cruise missile”
The general designer of the research and production corporation reported this to TASS. Design department mechanical engineering" (part of the High-Precision Complexes holding of the Rostec state corporation) Valery Kashin.
“All these years, the weapons of the Iskander-M missile system have been developing and improving. In particular, a new aeroballistic missile has been created, which successfully passed interdepartmental tests in December,” he said.
Valery Kashin / Photo: Rostec
The agency's interlocutor explained that now the Iskander-M OTRK can be equipped with five types of aeroballistic missiles and one cruise missile.
About the complex
The 9K720 Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system was developed by KBM in the 1990s and put into service in 2006. Produced to replace the outdated 9K79 Tochka (9K79-1 Tochka-U) complexes. The range of the missiles is 500 kilometers, for the export version - 280 kilometers.
9M723 aeroballistic missiles (they have different types of combat equipment, as well as different correlative homing heads) are controlled throughout the flight, which makes their trajectory unpredictable and difficult to intercept by tactical missile defense systems. The complex can also use high-precision cruise missiles 9M728 (R-500), Lenta.ru reported.
Technical information
Guided operational-tactical missile 9M723
Single-stage solid-fuel rocket 9M723, controlled at all stages of flight with a quasi-ballistic trajectory. The warhead of a cluster-type missile has 54 fragmentation elements with non-contact detonation or also a cluster type with elements of a volumetric detonating effect. The missiles are produced by JSC Votkinsk Plant, the launcher is manufactured at the Barricades Production Association.
Single-stage solid propellant rocket 9M723 / Photo: fecusin.ucoz.ru
Schematic diagram of the 9M723 guided operational-tactical missile / Photo: fun-space.ru
The design of the rocket is single-stage with an inseparable warhead. Much attention is paid to reducing the RCS - there are no protruding parts, holes and noticeable joints, the cable garrot is minimized as much as possible on the first versions of the rockets and is made in the form of a thin train on the surface of the rocket body on more modern series, the aerodynamic control surfaces are replaced with swept ones instead of lattice ones. A special heat-protective coating of the body is used, which can probably serve as a coating that reduces the ESR.
Launch of the 9M723 guided tactical missile / Photo: pics2.pokazuha.ru
Rocket 9M723 - rear view / Photo: fun-space.ru
The task of creating similar equipment for Iskander-E was completed by the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics (TsNIIAG), a leading developer of guidance and control systems for domestic tactical and operational-tactical missiles, which has a 25-year track record in the development of homing heads.
The main way to solve this problem was to combine an inertial system with optical guidance over the terrain surrounding the target. Moreover, the 9E436 optical correlation seeker, created in the early 90s at the Moscow TsNIIAG and shown at Eurosatory-2004, can be used both as part of the Iskander-E and on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types (including intercontinental). The seeker 9E436 has already passed flight tests and demonstrated the missile’s accuracy when hitting a target up to two meters. To date, serial production of this head has been prepared.
Optical seeker 9E436 of the 9M723 OTRK "Iskander" missile / Photo: militaryrussia.ru
- GOS mass - 20 kg
- Flight task entry time - no more than 5 minutes
- KVO - up to 20 m
This management principle has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with the last ones. Since the system does not recognize the target itself, but the terrain around it, it cannot provide guidance on a moving object. To formulate a flight mission, you must have a reconnaissance image. The operation of the seeker can be hampered by fog or an aerosol cloud exposed by the enemy that obscures the terrain. If the head is mounted on a ballistic missile, low clouds may interfere with its operation (this problem does not exist for cruise missiles capable of flying at low altitudes).
However, these disadvantages are more than compensated by the advantages. The optical seeker is universal and makes only one requirement for the missile's inertial control system: to bring the latter to the point at which the optics begin to see the target. Existing active electronic warfare systems, which very effectively counteract radar homing systems, are powerless against such a head. The high sensitivity of the seeker allows it to work even on a moonless night, which sets it apart new system from early prototypes. In addition, optical systems do not require signals from space radio navigation systems, such as the American NAVSTAR, which in crisis situations can be turned off or disabled by radio interference. At the same time, the integration of inertial control with satellite navigation equipment and an optical seeker makes it possible to create a missile that can hit a given target in almost any imaginable conditions.
The active radar seeker 9B918, which was developed and produced by NPP Radar MMS, also participates in the missile control work.
Engine - solid propellant rocket engine, engine compartment 9X820 (9M723 rocket), charge made of mixed solid fuel with high specific impulse. The Iskander/Iskander-E and Iskander-M missiles use different types of fuel. The solid propellant rocket motor of the complex does not require special heating during storage or operation in low temperatures(there are no missile heating systems on the SPU and TZM).
Remains of the engine compartment of a 9M723 missile discovered on Georgian territory during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, August 2008 / Photo: militaryphotos.net
- high-explosive fragmentation (all modifications), can be used with an optical or radar correlation seeker;
- high-explosive incendiary use with optical or radar correlation seeker is unlikely
- penetrating (all modifications), can be used with optical or radar correlation seeker
- nuclear, power 5-50 kt (Iskander-M), theoretically can be used with an optical or radar correlation seeker. The use of nuclear warheads is probably not currently envisaged because V open photos and video materials on the SPU and TZM there are no heating systems for nuclear charges (but based on the modularity of the complex, such systems can be installed at any time).
9M723 rocket - front view / Photo: fun-space.ru
Option 1 (possibly 9N722K1 - Design Bureau of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant.
- Weight - 480 kg
- Number of combat elements - 54 pcs.
- Warhead deployment height - 900-1400 m
- Trigger height of combat elements - 6-10 m
Types of combat elements:
- fragmentation non-contact
- cumulative fragmentation
- self-aiming
- volumetric detonating
Option 2 (possibly 9N722K1 or another) - GosNIIMash (Dzerzhinsk)
- Weight - 480 kg
- Number of combat elements - 45 pcs.
- Type of combat elements - 9N730 with a central explosive charge (CRZ) 9N731
- Non-contact fuse type - 9E156 "Umbrella" developed by the Research Institute of Electronic Devices (Novosibirsk)
Contactless fuse 9E156 "Umbrella" of the combat element of a cassette warhead / Photo: news.ngs.ru
- Rocket 9M723K1 / 9M723K5 - missiles with cluster warheads.
- The 9M723K-E missile is an export version of the missile with a cluster warhead
- The 9M723-1 missile is an improved version of the missile, developed as of 2007-2009.
- Rocket 9M723-1F / 9M723-1FE - missile with radar seeker 9B918
- Rocket 9M723-1F2 / 9M723-1F2Tl - mass-produced, with the letters "Tl" - telemetric version of the rocket
- The 9M723-1K5 / 9M723-1K5Tl missile is mass-produced, with the letters "Tl" - a telemetric version of the missile.
- 9M723 missile with a new type of combat equipment - a missile with a new type of combat equipment was launched at the Kapustin Yar test site on October 11, 2011. The launch was successful.
- 9M723 missile with an optical correlation seeker - On November 14, 2911, a missile with a seeker of this type was successfully tested at the Kapustin Yar test site.
The Iskander operational-tactical missile system (index - 9K720, according to NATO classification - SS-26 Stone "Stone") - is a family of operational-tactical missile systems: Iskander, Iskander-E, Iskander-K. The complex was developed at the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau. The Iskander missile system has been put into service Russian army in 2006, to date, 20 Iskander complexes have been produced (according to open data from the Ministry of Defense).
The complex is designed to engage conventionally equipped combat units against small-sized and area targets deep in the operational formation of enemy troops. It is assumed that it can be a means of delivering tactical nuclear weapons.
Most likely targets:
Fire weapons (missile systems, rocket systems volley fire, long-range artillery);
Missile and air defense systems;
Airplanes and helicopters at airfields;
Command posts and communication centers;
Critical civil infrastructure facilities.
The main features of the Iskander OTRK are:
High-precision effective destruction of various types of targets;
Possibility of covert combat duty, preparation for combat use and missile strikes;
Automatic calculation and input of flight missions for missiles when placing them on the launcher;
High probability of completing a combat mission in the face of active enemy opposition;
High operational reliability of the rocket and its reliability during preparation for launch and in flight;
High tactical maneuverability due to the placement of combat vehicles on off-road all-wheel drive chassis;
High strategic mobility, which is ensured by the ability to transport combat vehicles by all types of transport, including aviation;
High degree of automation of the process of combat control of missile units;
Fast processing and timely delivery of intelligence information to the necessary management levels;
Long service life and ease of use.
Combat characteristics:
Circular probable deviation: 1…30 m;
- rocket launch weight 3,800 kg;
- length 7.2 m;
- diameter 920 mm;
- warhead weight 480 kg;
- rocket speed after the initial part of the trajectory is 2100 m/s;
- minimum target engagement range 50 km;
- maximum target engagement range:
500 km Iskander-K
280 km Iskander-E
- time before the launch of the first rocket is 4...16 minutes;
- interval between starts: 1 minute
- service life: 10 years, including 3 years in field conditions.
The main elements that make up the Iskander OTRK are:
Rocket,
- self-propelled launcher,
- transport-charging machine,
- routine maintenance machine,
- command and staff vehicle,
- information preparation point,
- a set of arsenal equipment,
- educational and training facilities.
Transport-loading vehicle of the Iskander complex Self-propelled launcher (SPU) - designed for storing, transporting, preparing and launching two missiles at a target (in the export version, 1 missile). The SPU can be implemented on the basis of a special wheeled chassis MZKT-7930 produced by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Gross weight 42 tons, payload 19 tons, highway/dirt road speed 70/40 km/h, fuel range 1000 km. Calculation 3 people.
Transport-loading vehicle (TZM) - designed to transport two additional missiles. The TZM is implemented on the MZKT-7930 chassis and is equipped with a loading crane. Total combat weight 40 tons. Crew 2 people.
Command and staff vehicle of the Iskander complex The command and staff vehicle (CSM) is designed to control the entire Iskander complex. Implemented on the KamAZ-43101 wheeled chassis. Calculation 4 people. KShM CHARACTERISTICS:
- maximum radio communication range when stationary/on the move: 350/50 km
- task calculation time for missiles: up to 10 s
- command transmission time: up to 15 s
- number of communication channels: up to 16
- deployment (collapse) time: up to 30 minutes
- continuous operation time: 48 hours
Regulations and maintenance machine (MRTO) - designed to check on-board equipment of missiles and instruments, to carry out current repairs. Implemented on a KamAZ wheeled chassis. Weight is 13.5 tons, deployment time does not exceed 20 minutes, the time of the automated cycle of routine checks of the on-board equipment of the rocket is 18 minutes, crew 2 people.
Information preparation point of the Iskander complex Information preparation point (PPI) - is designed to determine the coordinates of the target and prepare flight missions for missiles with their subsequent transfer to the SPU. The PPI is integrated with reconnaissance assets and can receive missions and assigned targets from all necessary sources, including from a satellite, aircraft or drone. Calculation 2 people.
Life support vehicle (LSM) - designed for accommodation, rest and eating of combat crews. Implemented on a KamAZ-43118 wheeled chassis. The machine includes: a rest compartment and a utility compartment. The rest compartment has 6 carriage-type berths with folding upper beds, 2 lockers, built-in lockers, and an opening window. The utility compartment has 2 lockers with seats, a folding lifting table, a water supply system with a 300-liter tank, a tank for heating water, a pump for pumping water, a drainage system, a sink, and a dryer for clothes and shoes.
Life support machine of the Iskander missile complex The ROCKET of the Iskander complex is a solid-fuel, single-stage, with a warhead that is not detachable in flight, guided and energetically maneuvered throughout a difficult-to-predict flight path. It maneuvers especially actively during the starting and final stages of the flight, during which it approaches the target with a high (20-30 units) overload.
This necessitates an anti-missile flight to intercept an Iskander OTRK missile with an overload 2-3 times greater, which is currently practically impossible.
Most of the flight path of the Iskander missile, made using stealth technology with a small reflective surface, passes at an altitude of 50 km, which also significantly reduces the likelihood of it being hit by the enemy. The “invisibility” effect is achieved due to the combination of design features of the rocket and the treatment of its surface with special coatings.
To launch the missile to the target, an inertial control system is used, which is subsequently captured by an autonomous correlation-extreme optical homing head (GOS). The operating principle of the missile homing system is based on the formation by optical equipment of the seeker of an image of the terrain in the target area, which the on-board computer compares with the standard entered into it when preparing the missile for launch.
The optical homing head is characterized by increased sensitivity and resistance to existing electronic warfare systems, which makes it possible to launch missiles on moonless nights without additional natural illumination and hit a moving target with an error of plus or minus two meters. Currently, except for the Iskander OTRK, no other similar missile system in the world can solve this problem.
It is characteristic that the optical homing system used in the rocket does not require corrective signals from space radio navigation systems, which crisis situation may be damaged by radio interference or simply turned off. The integrated use of an inertial control system with satellite navigation equipment and an optical seeker made it possible to create a missile that can hit a given target in almost any possible conditions. The homing head installed on the Iskander OTRK missile can be installed on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types.
Types of combat units
- cassette with fragmentation combat elements of non-contact detonation (detonated at a height of about 10 m above the ground)
- cassette with cumulative fragmentation combat elements
- cassette with self-aiming combat elements
- cassette volumetric detonating action
- high-explosive fragmentation (HFBCH)
- high-explosive incendiary
- penetrating (PrBC)
The cluster warhead contains 54 combat elements.
The Iskander complex is integrated with various reconnaissance and control systems. It is capable of receiving information about a target designated for destruction from a satellite, reconnaissance aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicle (of the Reis-D type) to the information preparation point (PPI). It calculates the flight mission for the rocket and prepares reference information for the rockets.
This information is transmitted via radio channels to the command and staff vehicles of the division commanders and batteries, and from there to the launchers. Commands to launch missiles can come from the command gun or from the control posts of senior artillery commanders.
Placing two missiles on each SPU and TZM significantly increases firepower missile divisions, and a one-minute interval between missile launches at different targets ensures high fire performance. In terms of its effectiveness, taking into account its total combat capabilities, the Iskander operational-tactical missile system is equivalent to a nuclear weapon.
This week, a new missile for the Iskander-M operational-tactical complex (OTRK) was successfully tested at the Kapustin Yar test site. According to Viktor Bondarev, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, the event is extremely important for the country. Considering the constantly tense situation not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also on the border with the Kaliningrad region.
As the TASS senator stated, “the development and subsequent adoption of new high-precision missiles for hitting missile defense and air defense facilities serves as a guarantee of not only Russian, but also international security.”
Indeed, NATO generals take the Iskander extremely seriously. Firstly, neither the United States nor any other NATO country has an OTRK that would be close to the Iskander in terms of combat capabilities. Secondly, no one has any methods to combat Iskander missiles.
This spring the chapter Strategic Command US Air Force General John Hyten, speaking in the US Congress, admitted: “We cannot protect Europe from cruise missiles ground-based, which were recently deployed by Russia."
It would seem that in such a situation the developer of the Iskander-M OTRK, which is the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, can take a break. However, the general director of the design bureau, V. Kashin, told TASS at the beginning of this year that in order to maintain its leading position in the next decade, modernization of the complex is planned. The tests that have passed relate directly to it.
Since January, the situation has become more detailed. Shortly before the tests, it was reported that “seven types of missiles have been developed, and maybe more.” Outwardly, they do not differ, but the filling of the missiles is different - engines, warheads, control systems. How many missiles will actually be added to the two already available is not yet entirely clear. But one thing is certain. Since the modernization of the OTRK will take place in stages and will take at least two decades, the connection of new missiles to the complex will be done step by step. At the same time, new missiles will replace the old ones “at the combat post.” And in the near future, one missile may appear, which is currently being tested at the Kapustin Yar test site. And everyone was satisfied with the results of the launches.
So why are the United States and its satellites so afraid of the Iskander? They inherited this fear from the previous generation of military men, who reacted with the same panic to the Oka OTRK, which appeared in the 80s. The panic was understandable - Oka missiles were guaranteed to overcome all NATO missile defense systems available at that time.
During perestroika, when the USSR and the United States signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the Americans insisted on eliminating all Oka tactical missile systems deployed at that time and curtailing their production. This was achieved through forceful pressure on Moscow, since Oka had nothing to do with the INF Treaty. The maximum launch range of its missiles was 450 km. The treaty provided for the elimination of ground-based missiles whose range was between 500 km and 5500 km.
In the mid-90s, it was decided to create a new OTRK, not only using the developments gained during the development of the Oka, but also introducing the latest scientific and technical principles. The main developer, as before, was the Kolomna Design Bureau, and the co-implementers of the topic were a number of design bureaus and research institutes.
At first, the complex worked with one missile - a quasi-ballistic one. Its testing began at the Kapustin Yar test site in 1998. But then a default broke out, and the matter was delayed unjustifiably, that is, not for engineering reasons. The complex was put into service only in 2006. And then the first missile brigade of the Volga-Ural Military District began to be equipped with Iskanders.
Until 2013, the Iskander was equipped with two 9M723 quasi-ballistic missiles with different warheads - cluster, high-explosive fragmentation and penetrating. There is a modification with a nuclear charge. Warhead weight - 480 kg. At that time, the complex was 5-8 times superior in combat capabilities to its best analogues.
A quasi-ballistic missile received this name because when flying along a ballistic trajectory in airless space, it maneuvers with the help of gas-dynamic rudders to avoid enemy missile defenses. The rocket is a single-stage rocket with a solid-fuel jet engine. Flight in the passive phase after turning off the engine occurs at an altitude of 50 km.
The designers solved the problem of setting false targets for enemy radars in an extremely interesting way. During flight, radio wave reflectors are shot back in such a way that they form several groups. Each of these groups has the same effective dispersion area as the missile itself. As a result, several identical “missiles” flying at the same speeds are displayed on the locator screens. To ensure that the reflectors do not lag behind in flight, thereby unmasking the rocket, it periodically slows down, moving throughout the entire trajectory in a “group of quasi-missiles.”
During the final phase of the flight, when, as a result of diving towards the target, the speed increases to 6-7M, the rocket maneuvers with the help of aerodynamic rudders. In this case, the overload reaches 30g.
The first version of Iskander, of course, made an unfavorable impression on the Americans. But dejection gave way to hysteria when the Yekaterinburg design bureau "Novator" made a second missile for the complex - the R-500 cruise missile. Due to the inability to defend against the modernized OTRK, the United States responded with accusations that the R-500 violates the INF Treaty, since its range allegedly exceeds 500 km. And all this is unproven.
The R-500 has subsonic speed, but at the same time has unique ability overcome enemy missile defenses through a number of engineering solutions, many of which have become revolutionary. That is, intercepting it is as difficult as, say, hitting a bullet fired from a sniper rifle from a slingshot.
It took more than 10 years to create this rocket. Testing and refinement in their process lasted 6 years. And in 2013 it was put into service.
Many characteristics and principles of operation of the R-500 missile are classified. It is known that with a warhead weighing 480 kg, its maximum deviation from the target is 1 meter. The approach to the target when entering the enemy missile defense zone occurs at an altitude of 7 meters. This became possible thanks to comparative analysis on-board computer maps of the area, images from a television camera and data received from the seeker. Like a quasi-ballistic missile, the R-500 can be equipped with a variety of warheads, including nuclear.
If it is practically impossible to intercept each of the two types of Iskander missiles, then when both quasi-ballistic and cruise missiles simultaneously approach the target, then it is no longer possible to intercept them even theoretically.
The range of the R-500 does not exceed 500 km, which is reflected in the name of the missile. The new missile tested at the Kapustin Yar test site also does not fly further. And, incredible as it may seem, people across the ocean are finally beginning to agree with this. Even if not universally and not everywhere. Thus, commenting on the tests, Newsweek writes: “This means that the Iskander-M missiles, although capable of carrying nuclear warheads, are not covered by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).”
The Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau, by creating new missiles for the Iskander, is increasing the lead in this area of armament from the United States. Indeed, the best American OTRK MGM-140 ATACMS is significantly inferior to the Iskander-M in all respects. The ballistic missile covers a distance of 270 km and has a payload of 277 kg. Deviation from the target is 10−20 m. The missile maneuvers using aerodynamic rudders when flying in the atmosphere. But this exhausts the possibilities of countering missile defense systems. The complex was created in the late 80s, when the United States decided that there were no more serious opponents and never would be. Therefore, the development is more effective complexes turned off.
The situation has changed. A year ago it became known that the United States was beginning to develop a new complex. Its accuracy, range, payload, and ability to overcome missile defense systems will increase. It is reported that the new OTRK will be ready by 2027. During this time, Iskander will go even further forward. So the “catch up and overtake Russia” maneuver should not yield great results.