Article Summary and Key Points: Russia is reportedly developing an upgraded Iskander-M missile, the Iskander 1000, with a doubled range of 1,000 km and enhanced countermeasures, guidance, and precision. While its hypersonic speed (Mach 6-7) poses a challenge for NATO defenses, questions remain about Russia’s ability to mass-produce the weapon.
Key Point #1 – The U.S. Army’s Precision Strike Missile and Typhon system provide counterstrike capabilities, ensuring a credible deterrent. Additionally, NATO’s layered missile defense, including Aegis Ashore and Patriot systems, could limit the missile’s effectiveness.
Key Point #2 – If Russia truly achieves mass production, the balance of power in Europe could shift, making NATO’s response strategy even more critical.
Russia’s Iskander 1000 Missile: A Game-Changer or Overhyped Threat?
Russia has essentially doubled the range of its high-speed Iskander missile and surged into a mass production effort of the weapon, a move that multiple reports say could alter the balance of power on the European continent.
This claim may or may not be accurate. It appears something to be viewed with a measure of hesitation or skepticism.
Yet, Defence Security Asia reports that the Russians are building a new variant of its Iskander-M ballistic missile able to hit targets as far as 1,000km away, double the range of its existing Iskander-M’s 500km range.
While the publication cites unnamed “sources” regarding the range extension for the new Iskander 1000, the weapon will certainly be taken seriously by NATO and the West.
The tone of the Defence Security Asia essay seems to indicate that some of its claims may be exaggerated. Yet, the upgraded missile is stated to be engineered with new countermeasures, passive and active decoys, and a next-generation guidance system.
The report adds further specifics, suggesting that the weapon is built with advanced satellite networking, advanced guidance, and precision. As written by Defence Security Asia, some of its attributes say the Iskander 1000 has Autonomous Inertial Navigation Systems, Terrain Contour Matching, and an extremely precise Circular Error Probable of 16 feet.
Army Report on Iskander Missile
Even if some of the characterization of the upgraded Iskander missile’s impact upon the threat circumstance confronting NATO is exaggerated, the Pentagon appears to take the weapon quite seriously.
An article on the Iskander-M by the US Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) describes the weapon as capable of massive and dangerous speeds of Mach 6-7, stealth and nuclear-capable.
The TRADOC report further describes the Iskander as “quasi ballistic missiles with a published range of 415km, speeds of Mach 607, flight altitude up to 6-50km and nuclear-capable stealth missile.
Immediately after the launch and upon approach to the target, the missile performs intensive maneuvering to evade anti-ballistic missiles. The missile constantly maneuvers during flight as well.”
This missile’s most immediate and concerning element likely pertains to its hypersonic speeds, as the Pentagon consistently acknowledges the many challenges associated with defending against missiles traveling more than five times the speed of sound.
The US and its allies are working intensely to pioneer a number of cutting-edge hypersonic weapons technologies. Yet, the reported range of the upgraded Iskander, should it be accurate, could introduce new threats to the European continent.
NATO Counterstrike
There are other variables to consider, however, which may mitigate or offset some of the threat posed by the Iskander 1000, such as the countermeasures or “counterstrike” weapons capable of holding Russia at risk from similar distances.
The US Army is now breaking through with its Precision Strike Missile, a high-speed, maneuvering, dual-shot weapon capable of traveling at least 500km, if not much farther.
Added to this equation, the US has also now deployed a new, mid-range land-fired missile system called Typhon, an integrated technology capable of launching Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles from ground-based locations.
These weapons incorporate range and guidance technologies likely to function as an extremely credible deterrent against Russian efforts to “threaten” Europe with its Iskander 1000. Russia may not be inclined to fire its Iskander 1000 toward NATO, given the clear assurance that NATO could respond with a massive, overwhelming amount of ground-fired intermediate-range weapons with advanced guidance and explosives.
While the Typhon system does not, at the moment, incorporate hypersonic speeds equivalent to the Iskander 1000, it does present an ability to respond to any mid-range missile attack with large-scale precision missile capability.
Also, the US Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon is surging toward operational status and is precisely the kind of weapon in position to counterbalance Russia’s Iskander 1000.
Nonetheless, the speed of the Iskander 1000 could, at the moment, present substantial challenges to NATO in various respects. Yet, as is often the case with Russia, they regularly lack the ability to “mass-produce” or “scale”
Its exquisite, next-generation weapons. While several Iskander 1000s present a threat, it appears Russia would be at a loss to fire a “salvo” or “overwhelming” number of missiles.
This would greatly marginalize their impact as the weapon would be unable to “blanket” or “mitigate” NATO’s expansive missile defense apparatus, which includes Aegis Ashore, Patriot Systems, and other countermeasures.
These defenses, coupled with the assurance of a counterstrike ability, might give Putin pause to actually use the weapon.
This dynamic will also be greatly altered if, as the reports indicate, Russia is now somehow able to “mass-produce” these weapons to present a “massed” or “scaled” threat.
Iskander Missiles: A Story in Photos
Iskander Missile. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Iskander missile system. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Iskander Transport Loader 9T250
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
