According to information published on the Russian social network "VK" on April 19, 2022, the Russian army has started the deployment of the Iskander-K, mobile cruise missile system in the direction of Kharkiv to conduct firing operations in Ukraine.
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Russian army deploys Iskander mobile cruise missile launcher vehicles in the direction of Kharkiv. (Picture source VK Военный Осведомитель)
The Iskander-K is the latest development of mobile cruise missile launcher units based on the Iskander family. The Iskander is a family of short-range tactical missile systems developed and produced in Russia.
The Iskander-K is able to launch the R-500 cruise missile. Any missile is called Ballistic when the trajectory it follows is ballistic. It is used to deliver one or more warheads on a predetermined target. The cruise missile is guided and the target is pre-set. It is basically used against terrestrial targets.
The Iskander-K is based on the MZKT-7930 8x8 military truck chassis manufactured in Belarus. In road position, the cruise missiles are stored inside the rear part of the truck chassis. In the firing position, four-tube launchers are erected in the vertical position at the rear of the truck.
The Iskander-K is able to launch the R-500 tactical cruise missile and the vehicle can carry up to four missiles. According to Russian military sources, the R-500 also called 9M728, has a maximum firing range of 490 km. The missile can be fitted with a conventional warhead weighing 500 kg, or a nuclear warhead with a yield of around 10-50 kT. There are several different conventional warheads, including cluster, fuel-air explosive, and bunker-busting.
The R-500 missile is equipped with an Astro-inertial navigation system but can be also fitted with satellite navigation systems such as NAVSTAR and GLONASS. The missile has a CEP (Circular Error Probability) of around 5 meters.
The Iskander-K can fire each missile independently within 16 minutes from the traveling position. The R-500 missile has a weight from 1,800 to 2,300 kg with a warhead of 500 kg. It can fly at a speed from 230 to 260 m/s.
The Iskander-K is operated by a crew of three. The vehicle is powered by a YaMZ-846 diesel engine developing 500 hp. It can run at a maximum road speed of 70 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 km.
