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High-precision operational-tactical missile system ground forces 9K720 "Iskander" is designed for covert preparation and delivery of effective missile strikes against especially important small-sized and area targets in the depth of the operational formation of enemy troops: fire weapons (missile systems, MLRS, long-range artillery), aircraft and helicopters at airfields, command posts and communication centers , the most important objects of civil infrastructure.
OTRK 9K720 was created as a result of the joint work of a group of research institutes, design bureaus and factories under the leadership of the Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (KBM Kolomna), known as the creator company missile systems"Point", "Oka". The launcher was developed by the Central Design Bureau "Titan" (Volgograd), the homing system was developed by the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics (Moscow).
Under the conditions of the 1987 INF Treaty and the refusal to use nuclear weapons in the theater 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 over the entire flight path;
a wide range of effective combat equipment;
the presence of an automation system in the complex combat control and systems information support, including the preparation of reference information for correction systems and final guidance;
the possibility of integration with global satellite navigation systems (GSSN - "Glonass", "NAVSTAR");
the possibility of hitting heavily protected targets;
increase in fire performance;
the ability to effectively overcome the action of air defense and missile defense systems;
the possibility of hitting moving targets.
To meet the above requirements, an export version of the OTRK 9K720 was created, which received the designation "Iskander-E". "Iskander-E" incorporated the best scientific, technical and design achievements in the field of tactical missile systems and, in the aggregate technical solutions, high combat effectiveness is a weapon of a completely new generation, superior in its performance characteristics existing RK 9K72 Elbrus, Tochka-U, Lance, ATASMS, Pluton, etc.
The main features of the RK 9K720 "Iskander":
high-precision and effective destruction of various types of targets;
the possibility of covert training, combat duty and effective missile strikes;
automatic calculation and input of the flight task of missiles by means of launcher;
high probability of accomplishing a combat mission in the face of active opposition from the enemy;
high probability of failure-free functioning of the rocket in preparation for launch, as well as in flight;
high tactical maneuverability due to the high cross-country ability of 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 dissemination of intelligence information to the relevant command and control levels;
long service life and ease of use.
"Iskander-E" in terms of its tactical and technical characteristics fully complies with the position of the Regime of Control over the Non-Proliferation of Missile Technologies. This is a "weapon of deterrence" in local conflicts, and for countries with limited living space - a strategic weapon. The structure of the complex, its control system, automated combat control and information support make it possible to quickly respond to new requirements without significant refinement of its combat means and, as a result, guarantee it a long life cycle.
For armament Russian army a version of the Iskander-M missile system with an increased flight range (more than 450 km) was developed, as well as the Iskander-K, equipped with a high-precision R-500 cruise missile (range up to 2600 km) of the Caliber system developed by the Yekaterinburg OKB Novator ". The complex was successfully tested in 2007 at the Kapustin Yar test site.
In 2007, Iskander-M complexes (four combat vehicles) was equipped with a training division in Kapustin Yar, which took part in the war with Georgia in August 2008.
In the west, the complex received the designation SS-26.
Compound
The complex includes:
missile 9M723;
self-propelled launcher 9P78 (SPU);
transport-loading vehicle 9T250 (TZM);
command and staff vehicle 9S552 (KShM);
mobile information preparation station 9S920 (PPI);
machine regulations and maintenance (MRTO);
life support machine;
sets of arsenal and training equipment.
Rocket 9M723 - solid-propellant, single-stage with a warhead that cannot be separated in flight. The rocket is controlled throughout the flight path using aerodynamic and gas-dynamic rudders. The flight path of 9M723 is not ballistic, but controlled. The rocket is constantly changing the plane of the trajectory. It maneuvers especially actively in the area of its acceleration and approach to the target - with an overload from 20 to 30g. In order to intercept a 9M723 missile, an anti-missile must move along a trajectory with an overload two or three times higher, and this is practically impossible. Most of the flight trajectory of a missile made using the Stealth technology and having a small reflective surface passes at an altitude of 50 km, which also significantly reduces the likelihood of it being hit by an enemy. The effect of "invisibility" is achieved due to the combination of design features and the treatment of the rocket with special coatings.
The missile is launched directly at the target using an inertial control system, and then captured by an autonomous correlation-extreme optical homing head (see photo). The principle of operation of the OTR 9M723 homing system is that the optical equipment forms an image of the terrain in the target area, which is compared by the on-board computer with the standard introduced during the preparation of the rocket for launch. Optical head has increased resistance to existing media electronic warfare and allows successful missile launches even on moonless nights, when there is no additional natural target illumination, hitting the target with an error of plus or minus two meters. No tactical system in the world can solve such a problem, except for the Iskander. In addition, optical systems do not need signals from space radio navigation systems, which in crisis cases can be turned off or disabled by radio interference. Integration of inertial control with satellite navigation equipment and optical seeker allows you to create a missile that hits a given target in almost any conceivable conditions. The homing head can also be used on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types.
The missile can be equipped with various warheads (10 types in total), including:
cluster warhead with fragmentation submunitions of non-contact detonation;
cluster warhead with cumulative fragmentation submunitions;
cluster warhead with self-aiming submunitions;
cluster warhead volumetric detonating action;
high-explosive fragmentation warhead (OFBCH);
high-explosive incendiary warhead;
penetrating warhead (PrBCh).
The cassette warhead provides deployment at an altitude of 0.9-1.4 km with further separation and stabilization of the combat elements. The combat elements are equipped with radio sensors, the undermining of the combat elements is carried out at a height of 6-10 m above the target.
Thanks to the implementation of terminal control and guidance methods, control over the entire flight path, a wide range of powerful warheads and the integration of the onboard control system with various systems correction and homing, as well as a high probability of completing a combat mission in the face of active enemy opposition, typical targets are hit by the launch of only 1-2 Iskander-E missiles, which is equivalent in efficiency to the use of a nuclear weapon.
The fully autonomous SPU is placed on an 8x8 off-road wheeled chassis (MZKT-7930) and is designed for storing and transporting missiles, preparing for launch and launching within the firing sector ±90° relative to the SPU arrival direction. SPU provides: automatic determination of its coordinates, data exchange with all control links, combat duty and preparation for launch with the missile in a horizontal position, single and salvo launches of missiles, storage and testing of missiles. The most important feature of the launcher was the placement on it of not one (as in Tochka and Oka), but two missiles. The time spent by the launcher at the launch position is minimal and is up to 20 minutes, while the interval between launches of the 1st and 2nd missiles is not more than one minute. Missile launches do not require launching positions specially prepared in engineering and topographic and geodetic terms, which can lead to their disclosure by the enemy. Launches can be carried out from the so-called "readiness from the march", i.e. the launcher drives into any site (except for swampy terrain and loose sands) and its calculation in an automated cycle, without leaving the cockpit, prepares and launches the rocket. After that, the launcher moves to the reloading point and, after loading the missiles, is ready to deliver a second missile strike from any starting position.
TZM is also placed on the MZKT-7930 chassis and is equipped with a jib crane. Full combat weight - 40000kg, calculation of TZM - 2 people.
The automated control system is built on the basis of a command and control vehicle unified for all levels of control, made on the chassis of the KAMAZ family. Adjustment to a certain level of control (brigade, division, starting battery) is carried out programmatically during operation. To ensure information exchange, the launcher is equipped with combat control and communications equipment. Information exchange can be carried out both through open and closed communication channels.
"Iskander-E" is integrated with various intelligence and control systems. Information about the target is transmitted from a satellite, a reconnaissance aircraft or an unmanned aerial vehicle (of the Reis-D type) to an information preparation point (IPP). It calculates the flight task for the missile and prepares reference information for missiles with OGSN. Then this information is transmitted via radio channels to the command and staff vehicles (KShM) of the battalion commanders and batteries, and from there to the launchers. Commands for launching missiles can be formed both in the KShM and come from the command posts of senior artillery commanders.
Regulation machine and Maintenance(MRTO) is placed on the chassis of the Kamaz family and is designed for routine checks of the on-board equipment of missiles placed on the TZM (as well as in containers), checking devices that are part of group sets of spare parts and accessories for the elements of the complex and current repair of missiles by the forces of the MRTO calculation. Vehicle weight - 13500 kg, deployment time - 20 minutes, time for an automated routine check of the missile's onboard equipment - 18 minutes, crew - 2 people.
The life support vehicle is designed to accommodate combat crews (up to 8 people) for rest and food.
Tactical and technical characteristics
| Firing range, km: - minimum - maximum |
50 280 (400) |
| Shooting accuracy (KVO), m: - without homing system - with homing system |
30-70 5-7 |
| Number of missiles: - at SPU - on TZM |
2 2 |
| Launch time of the first rocket, min: - from the highest readiness - from the march |
no more than 4 no more than 16 |
| Interval between starts, min | up to 1 |
| Assigned service life, years | 10 (of which 3 years in the field) |
| Temperature Range application, °C | up to ± 50 |
| Height above sea level, m | up to 3000 |
| Rocket | |
| Starting weight of the rocket, kg | 3800 |
| Warhead weight, kg | 480 |
| Length, mm | 7200 |
| Maximum diameter, mm: - on yoke clips - by engine |
950 920 |
| SPU | |
| Gross weight, t | 42 |
| Mass of placed load, t | 19 |
|
Max speed, km/h: - by highway - on dirt road |
70 40 |
| Cruising range according to the control fuel consumption, km | 1000 |
| Calculation, people | 3 |
| KShM | |
| 4 | |
|
Maximum range radio communications, km - in the parking lot - on the march |
350 50 |
| Combat mission calculation time, s | to 10 |
| Maximum command transmission time, s | 15 |
| Number of communication channels | up to 16 |
| Data transmission (reception) rate, kbps | 16 |
| Deployment/folding time (with antenna deployment/folding), min | up to 30 |
| 48 | |
| PPI | |
| Number of automated workplaces, pcs. | 2 |
| Time to determine the coordinates of the target point, min | from 0.5 to 2 |
| Time to bring target designation to SPU, min | 1 |
| Time of continuous operation, h | 16 |
OTRK "Iskander-M" / Photo: Press service of the RF Ministry of Defense
The operational-tactical missile system (OTRK) "Iskander-M" received a new aeroballistic missile.
“Now the Iskander-M OTRK can be equipped with five types of aeroballistic missiles and one cruise missile”
This was reported to TASS by the general designer of the research and production corporation " Design department Engineering" (part of the holding "High-precision complexes" of the state corporation "Rostec") Valery Kashin.
"All these years go by development and improvement of weapons of the Iskander-M missile system. In particular, a new aeroballistic missile was created, which successfully passed interdepartmental tests in December," he said.
Valery Kashin / Photo: Rostec
The interlocutor of the agency 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 obsolete complexes 9K79 "Tochka" (9K79-1 "Tochka-U"). The range of missiles is 500 kilometers, for the export version - 280 kilometers.
Aero ballistic missiles 9M723 (possess various types combat equipment, as well as various correlation homing heads) are controlled throughout the flight, which makes their trajectory unpredictable and makes it difficult to intercept by means of tactical missile defense. The complex can also use high-precision cruise missiles 9M728 (R-500), Lenta.ru reported.
Technical reference
Guided tactical missile 9M723
single stage solid rocket 9M723, controlled at all stages of flight with a quasi-ballistic trajectory. The warhead of a cluster-type missile, which has 54 fragmentation elements with non-contact detonation, or also a cluster-type missile with volumetric detonating elements. The missiles are produced by OAO Votkinsky Zavod, the launcher is manufactured at the Barrikady Production Association.
Single-stage solid rocket 9M723 / Photo: fecusin.ucoz.ru
circuit diagram guided tactical missile 9M723 / Photo: fun-space.ru
The design of the rocket is single-stage with an inseparable warhead. great attention reduced EPR - there are no protruding parts, holes and noticeable joints, the cable fairing is minimized to the maximum on the first versions of the missiles and is made in the form of a thin plume on the surface of the rocket body on more modern series, aerodynamic rudders instead of lattice ones are replaced by swept ones. A special heat-shielding coating of the case is used, which, probably, can act as an EPR-reducing coating.
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 the Iskander-E was handled 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 backlog in the development of homing heads.
As the main way to solve this problem, the combination of an inertial system with optical guidance along the surrounding terrain was chosen. Moreover, the optical correlation seeker 9E436, 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). GOS 9E436 has already passed flight tests and showed the accuracy of the missile when it hits the target up to two meters. Prepared to date mass production this head.
Optical seeker 9E436 missiles 9M723 OTRK "Iskander" / Photo: militaryrussia.ru
- Mass GOS - 20 kg
- Flight task input time - no more than 5 minutes
- KVO - up to 20 m
This approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with the latter. Since the system does not recognize the target itself, but the area around it, it cannot provide guidance to a moving object. To form a flight mission, you must have a reconnaissance photograph. The work of the seeker may be hindered by fog or an aerosol cloud exposed by the enemy, hiding the terrain. If the head is mounted on a ballistic missile, low cloud cover can interfere with its operation (for cruise missiles capable of flying at low altitudes, this problem does not exist).
However, these shortcomings are more than offset by advantages. The optical seeker is universal and makes only one requirement for the inertial control system of the rocket: bring the latter to the point where the optics begin to see the target. Against such a head, the existing active electronic warfare systems are powerless, which very effectively counteract radar homing systems. The high sensitivity of the seeker allows you to work even on a moonless night, which distinguishes the new system from early prototypes. In addition, optical systems do not need signals from space radio navigation systems, such as the American NAVSTAR, which in crisis cases can be turned off or disabled by radio interference. At the same time, the integration of inertial control with satellite navigation equipment and optical seeker makes it possible to create a missile that hits a given target in almost any conceivable conditions.
The active radar seeker 9B918, which was developed and produced by NPP Radar MMS, also participates in the work of the missile control.
Engine - solid propellant rocket engine, engine compartment 9X820 (rocket 9M723), the charge is made of mixed solid fuel with a high specific impulse. Iskander/Iskander-E and Iskander-M missiles use fuel different type. Solid-propellant rocket rockets of the complex does not imply special heating during storage or operation in conditions low temperatures(there are no missile heating systems on the SPU and TZM).
The remains of the engine compartment of the 9M723 rocket discovered on the territory of Georgia during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, August 2008 / Photo: militaryphotos.net
- high-explosive fragmentation (all modifications), can be used with 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. in open photos and video materials on SPU and TZM there are no heating systems nuclear charges(but based on the modularity of the complex, such systems can be installed at any time).
Rocket 9M723 - front view / Photo: fun-space.ru
Option 1 (possibly 9N722K1 - Design Bureau of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant.
- Weight - 480 kg
- The number of combat elements - 54 pcs.
- Warhead deployment height - 900-1400 m
- Operation 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
- The number of combat elements - 45 pcs.
- Type of combat elements - 9N730 with a central bursting charge (CRZ) 9N731
- Type of proximity fuse - 9E156 "Umbrella" developed by the Research Institute of Electronic Devices (Novosibirsk)
Proximity fuse 9E156 "Umbrella" of a cluster warhead submunition / Photo: news.ngs.ru
- Rocket 9M723K1 / 9M723K5 - missiles with cluster warheads.
- Rocket 9M723K-E - export version of the rocket with a cluster warhead
- Rocket 9M723-1 - an improved version of the rocket, 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
- Rocket 9M723-1K5 / 9M723-1K5Tl - mass-produced, with the letters "Tl" - a telemetric version of the rocket.
- 9M723 missile with a new type of combat equipment - the launch of a missile with a new type of combat equipment was carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site on October 11, 2011. The launch was successful.
- Rocket 9M723 with an optical correlation seeker - 11/14/2911, a rocket with a seeker of this type was successfully tested at the Kapustin Yar training ground.
There are magic words in world politics that terrify entire governments of countries. For example, the phrase " chemical weapon in Syria", or "Iran's nuclear weapons" causes the political elite of the Western countries to experience extreme military-diplomatic excitement. However, in terms of the speed of the reaction of the progressive public to such phrases, our Iskander has no equal. The mention of the Iskander-M OTRK, especially in the context of its deployment at someone's borders, inevitably entails a reaction close to hysteria from the media, the military and politicians of the border countries and their Western overlords. Let's see what is the secret of our neighbors so frightening magical properties this operational-tactical missile system.
The problem of the Iskander missile system is that it is impossible to "catch" it. Firstly, because during the flight the missile maneuvers with huge overloads, which are still inaccessible for any interceptor missile in service with the countries of the world. Secondly, it flies very low - up to 6 km. from the surface at a speed of Mach 4, so it is almost impossible to detect using standard radar tools. Thirdly, it throws out decoys to deceive the enemy radar, sets up active radio interference and “jamming” all emitters that are used to navigate the missile defense system in space. Those. "Iskander" can destroy any object within a radius of 500 km with an accuracy of 2 meters and a probability close to 100%. Theoretically, by launching a rocket from Kaliningrad, you can "get" to the government quarter in Berlin, and striking force strike can be easily increased by "hanging" a nuclear warhead. Such missile weapons no one in the world has. At the same time, the Iskander is extremely mobile and secretive - the probability of its detection, even by means of space reconnaissance, is very low. Within 1 minute, he launched a set of missiles and immediately left the place of deployment, turning off all devices.
The rocket is single-stage, has a single-nozzle engine, is non-ballistic and is controlled throughout the entire flight path using aerodynamic and gas-dynamic rudders. Most of the flight trajectory of a missile made using the Stealth technology and having a small dispersion surface passes at an altitude of 50 km, and on the approach section - 6-20 km (depending on the type of OTRK), which makes it an almost impossible task to defeat the enemy . The effect of "invisibility" is achieved due to a combination of design features, in particular, the treatment of the rocket with special nanostructured scattering coatings, the dropping of protruding parts after launch, etc. The trajectory of the Iskander is not only non-ballistic, but also difficult to predict. Immediately after the launch and immediately upon approaching the target, the rocket performs intensive maneuvering. Depending on the trajectory, overloads range from 20 to 30 units. Accordingly, the interceptor missile must withstand an overload at least 2-3 times higher, which is technologically impossible within the framework of the 4th technological order existing in the world and even the promising fifth.
Iskander-M - the main option for the Russian army - is significantly more complex than the exported Iskander-E. Less noticeable, more maneuverable at the start and at the end of the flight. In addition, it has not just an inertial guidance system, like Iskander-E, but a combined one, including radio correction, GPS, GLONASS, laser and optical homing in the final section. It is controlled by lattice rudders. The warhead is not separated in principle, because. the body serves to create lift in the final section.
In 2012, another complex, Iskander-K, which is a further development of M, passed the final tests. It launches even more accurate, already cruise missiles, which are equipped with small bearing surfaces, like on the R-37. Thanks to this, it became possible to fire along a flat trajectory, as, at one time, at the OKA complex, only much more accurately and faster. The missile can fly at an altitude of only 6 km (horizontal radars have no chance), it uses a combined seeker and interchangeable warheads. Two missiles in salvo can be completed different systems guidance and fire both on a hinged and flat trajectory.
Experts express the opinion that the combined use of the two brothers - Iskander-M and Iskander-K provide a synergistic effect, which is not able to counteract any of the existing missile defense systems. One of the missile technology experts, speaking on the forums under the nickname "Evil Critic", described the new product as follows: "It is known that both ballistic missiles (BR) and cruise missiles (CR), as well as their guidance systems, have a number of limitations on " current state"of the target being hit ... For example, if you bet ONLY on the Iskander-M, for example, with an optical-correlation system of final guidance on the target, and if you assume that you will have to hit the target at "X hour" with low clouds and intense visual opposition of the enemy, - the bet can be lost. Similarly, with the radar system of final guidance, similar in principle to that of the "Pershing-2", - here the "cards" can be confused by the enemy's intense REB. At the same time, low cloudiness, for example, and intense visual masking of the final object, will to a certain extent "on the drum" of the CR with an inertial and optical-correlation system that works out navigational corrections throughout the ENTIRE route (similar to Pendossk. CR ALCM) ... There is no target masking here will not help, - and here you need to ONLY shoot down, shoot down on the route or on the edge on the way to the target.
Finally, let's imagine a situation when Iskander-K and Iskander-M "approach" the target (the Czech missile defense radar or the gentry mines with GBI) - SIMULTANEOUSLY ... And each demonstrates "their own set of gadgets" , - "Iskander-M" - high-intensity maneuvering of a high-flying hypersonic target, "Iskander-K", - an extremely low flight profile (about 6 m) and following the terrain in a practically "autonomous" (i.e. not dependent on the search for a target on-board sensors) mode ... This is REALLY a situation close to 100% probability of hitting a target ... So, to combat EuroPRO, it really is Optimal COMBINATION"Iskander-M" + "Iskander-K". The whole point is to use these products at the same time, "in one blow"".
The German newspaper Bild, citing its sources, reported that Russia deployed Iskanders in the Kaliningrad region near the border with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This message was followed by the reaction of the US authorities, who immediately, through all channels of interaction, called on Russia not to destabilize the situation by deploying Iskanders in the west. "We would not want them to take steps that lead to destabilization in the region," said US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf. Translated from diplomatic to human, it sounds something like this: “The deployment of Iskanders will upset the entire balance of power in Europe, and not in our direction. Anything but Iskander! Concern was also expressed in Poland and Latvia. Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Oleakas called it disturbing news, while Lithuanian presidential adviser Dalia Grybauskaite said that Russia's actions are not in line with declarations of a desire for closer cooperation with the European Union and NATO. Even China got nervous when it learned that the missile system would be located near its border.
It should be noted that the hands of Azerbaijan were tied with the supply of Iskanders to Armenia, recent times who tried to play with military muscles in the region - the aggressive rhetoric against Yerevan stopped. In 2014, Armenia will complete the rearmament of its missile parts for ultra-precise and long-range missile systems. Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan stated this at a press conference in Yerevan on January 24, answering a question from journalists about whether reports about the acquisition of Russian modern operational-tactical missile systems (OTRK) Iskander-M by Yerevan are true. Note that the export Iskander-E, not cut in capabilities with a range of 280 km and one missile in the launcher, but a full-fledged M, firing at a distance of up to 500 km and having 2 missiles at once (by the way, so far the only OTRK in the world capable of launch 2 missiles at once from one launcher). For Armenian friends, apparently, they made an exception due to the heated geopolitical situation throughout the CIS.
"Iskander" can deliver to the target cluster (with 54 submunitions), penetrating, high-explosive fragmentation, as well as nuclear warheads. This allows you to hit small and area targets, including enemy fire weapons, air defense and missile defense systems, aviation at airfields, command posts etc. The structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan includes a rocket, a self-propelled launcher, a transport-loading and command-and-control vehicles, a mobile information preparation point, mobile technical and household support units, as well as sets of arsenal and training equipment.
The history of the creation of this OTRK began in the early 80s. The use of warheads of conventional (non-nuclear) equipment while maintaining the effectiveness of weapons forced developers to look for new ways to build a missile control system (CS). The accuracy of the inertial control system for solving this problem is insufficient, it should have been raised
about an order of magnitude. In the 80s. attempts have already been made in our country to solve this problem. Optical homing equipment was created for the Scud (we even managed to conduct ground tests and put the missile into trial operation in the troops). A non-nuclear warhead guided by a correlation-type radar seeker was developed for the Volga complex. The modernized "Oka" and "Tochka" had not only an inertial control system, but also an optical correlation-extreme guidance system, which was also not only tested, but also underwent trial operation in the troops. During the idle years of our military-industrial complex, the United States achieved great success in this direction: on the American Pershing-2 missile, which was destroyed under the INF Treaty, a radar seeker was installed that identified the terrain in the target area; optical homing systems are used in modern versions of Tomahawk and CALCM cruise missiles. Their effectiveness has been clearly demonstrated in Iraq and Yugoslavia.
The task of creating similar equipment for the Iskander was handled 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 backlog in the development of homing heads. As the main way to solve this problem, the combination of an inertial system with optical guidance along the surrounding terrain was chosen. Moreover, the homing head created at TsNIIAG can be used both as part of the Iskander and on ballistic and cruise missiles of various classes and types (including intercontinental ones). This seeker has already passed flight tests and showed better accuracy than the Americans achieved on their Tomahawks.
The principle of operation of homing systems, which have the scientific name of correlation-extreme, is that the optical equipment forms an image of the terrain in the target area, which is compared in the on-board computer with the reference one, after which corrective signals are issued to the missile controls.
The optical seeker is universal and makes only one requirement for the inertial control system of the rocket: bring the latter to the point where the optics begin to see the target. Against such a head, the existing active electronic warfare systems are powerless, which very effectively counteract radar homing systems. The high sensitivity of the seeker allows you to work even on a moonless night, which distinguishes the new system from existing analogues. In addition, optical systems do not need signals from space radio navigation systems, such as the American NAVSTAR, which in crisis cases can be turned off by its owners or disabled by radio interference. By the way, many potential customers of Iskander-E put forward demands for independence from satellite navigation. At the same time, the integration of inertial control with satellite navigation equipment and optical seeker makes it possible to create a missile that hits a given target in almost any conceivable conditions.
Information about the target is transmitted from a satellite, a reconnaissance aircraft or an unmanned aerial vehicle to an information preparation point (IPP). It calculates the flight mission for the missile, which is then broadcast via radio channels to the command and staff vehicles (CSV) of the battalion commanders and batteries, and from there to the launchers. Commands for launching missiles can be formed both in the KShM and come from the command posts of senior artillery commanders. The PPI and KShM equipment is built on local networks Russian computers, and the functional purpose of the complex of control tools depends only on software and can be easily upgraded to handle a variety of weapons.
On October 11, 2011, it was announced the completion of the first stage of testing the updated Iskander-M missile system with new combat equipment - with new system Electronic warfare, which provides cover for the missile in the final phase of the flight. This system includes means of setting passive and active interference with surveillance and firing radars of the enemy's air and missile defense, through noise and the release of decoys. Since 2013, new missiles have been supplied to the Russian army.
The 2012 CIA analytical review “On Strategic Risks and the Global Military-Political Situation in the World” contains a very revealing definition: “The Iskander operational-tactical missile system is a weapon capable of influencing military-political situation in the regions of the world, if the states located in them do not have an extended territory. Therefore, the issues of locating the Iskander complexes, as well as their export supplies, are the subject of political consultations between the countries.”
And, in addition, a few beautiful videos:
"Iskander" (complex index - 9K720, according to the classification of the US Defense Ministry and NATO - SS-26 Stone, English Stone) - a family of operational-tactical missile systems: Iskander, Iskander-E, Iskander-K. The complex was developed in the Kolomna Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (KBM).
Purpose of the complex
Designed to engage combat units in conventional equipment of small and area targets in the depth of the operational formation of enemy troops. It is assumed that it can be a means of delivery of tactical nuclear weapons.
Most likely targets:
The composition of the complex
Command and staff vehicle (KShM) (9S552) - designed to control the entire Iskander complex. Implemented on a KamAZ-43101 wheeled chassis. R-168-100KAE "Aqueduct" radio station. Calculation 4 people. Characteristics of KShM:
- maximum range of radio communication in the parking lot / on the march: 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
- unfolding (clotting) time: up to 30 minutes
continuous work time: 48 hours
Combat characteristics
- 500 km Iskander-K
- 280 km Iskander-E
Types of combat units
It can also be equipped with nuclear and chemical charges.
Rocket
The rocket of the 9M723K1 complex has one stage with a solid propellant engine. The trajectory is quasi-ballistic, the rocket is controlled throughout the flight using aerodynamic and gas-dynamic rudders. Manufactured using technologies to reduce radar visibility (similar to the low visibility technology of NATO countries "Stealth"): small scattering surface, special coatings, small size of protruding parts. Most of the flight takes place at an altitude of about 50 km. The rocket conducts intensive maneuvering with overloads of the order of 20-30 units in the initial and final sections of the flight. The guidance system is mixed: inertial in the initial and middle sections of the flight and optical (using the GOS developed by the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics, TsNIIAG) in the final section of the flight, which achieves high accuracy. It is possible to use GPS / GLONASS in addition to the inertial guidance system.
Options
Iskander can be equipped with R-500 cruise missiles with a range of more than 2,000 km.
Combat use
Reliable information about combat use There are no Iskander complexes, however, there were reports refuted by the Russian military that the complex was used during the Georgian-South Ossetian armed conflict in 2008.
According to Shota Utiashvili, head of the Analytical Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Russia used Iskander missile systems at facilities in Poti, Gori and the Baku-Supsa pipeline.
In blogs, Utiashvili's statement was widely discussed and was perceived ambiguously, since some of the photographs of several march stages presented as evidence do not refer to the Iskander, but to the 9M79 missiles of the Tochka-U complexes, while the other part of the pictures really shows fragments from applied code 9M723, corresponding to the designation of the missiles of the Iskander complex.
Mikhail Barabanov, an expert in the Moscow Defense Brief, indicates that the Iskander complex was used at the location of a separate tank battalion in Gori. As a result of a direct hit of the warhead in the weapons depot of the Georgian battalion, it detonated. At the same time, the author notes that this information is based on unverified sources. A Dutch commission investigating the death of RTL Nieuws cameraman Stan Storimans in Gori on August 12, 2008 determined that the journalist had been killed by a single 5mm steel ball. According to the BBC, the Dutch commission expressed an expert opinion that Iskander was the carrier of the cluster munition, but the report did not indicate on what grounds such a conclusion was made.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the data provided by the Dutch side is not enough to determine the type of media. Earlier, Human Rights Watch put forward another version, according to which the cause of the death of the Dutch journalist was RBC-250 aviation cluster bombs.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn denied all reports of the use of Iskanders in Georgia, saying that the Iskander complex during the fighting in South Ossetia was not applied.
Politics
OTRK Iskander is powerful weapon, capable of fundamentally changing the military-political situation in certain regions of the world, therefore, the placement of Iskander complexes, as well as their export supplies, are often part of political consultations between countries.
