Journalism of Courage
Russia has promised its ally Belarus delivery of nuclear- capable missiles in the coming months to take on an “aggressive” West. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement as Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Moscow. In a televised broadcast, Putin said: “In the coming months, we will transfer to Belarus Iskander-M tactical missile systems, which can use ballistic or cruise missiles, in their conventional and nuclear versions.”
What is the Iskander-M missile system, and what is Russia trying to achieve by offering them to Belarus?
What is the Iskander-M missile system?
Codenamed “SS-26 Stone” by NATO, Iskander-M is a term used by Russia to define both the transporter-erector launch system and the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) it fires. The system can also fire ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) – the SSC-7 and the SSC-8. The Iskander-M system has been exclusively used by the Russian military, whereas Iskander-E is the one meant for export.
What is the missile’s capability and range?
The Iskander-M missile has a range of 500 km and it can carry a payload of up to 700 kg. It is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. The conventional warheads can be equipped with include cluster bombs, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) warheads and bunker-buster munitions, according to US-based Missile Defence Advocacy Alliance (MDAA). The export variant, Iskander-E, has a range of 280 km with a reduced 480 kg payload.
When was it inducted and first used in combat?
While the Iskander system was inducted by Russia in 2006, its development picked pace in the late 1980s after the “Oka” SRBM or the OTR-23 was banned under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.
The Oka was Russia’s first attempt to replace the Soviet Scud missiles. Iskander was the second. Russia first used the Iskander in combat in Georgia in 2008.
US-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says that the Iskander missiles are designed to confuse missile defences by flying on a low trajectory and manoeuvring in flight to strike targets within 2 to 5 metres accuracy.
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What does its proposed delivery to Belarus mean?
Russia has made the announcement at the time when the G-7 meets in Germany. It is also one more time that Putin has raised nuclear weapons as a sort of warning to the West against climbing the escalation ladder in the Ukraine war.
In the past too, Russia has used the Iskander system to project power against Europe, more so because of its ability to be fitted with tactical nuclear warheads. In 2012, Moscow said that the weapon could be used to target Europe’s missile defences. The Iskander system has already been deployed in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave, from where it can be fired to target NATO forces in Poland, the Baltic States, and Sweden.
