November 12, 2004 :: News
In recent years Russia has been developing a new version of the SS-X-26 Iskander ballistic missile, a short range tactical weapon designed as a successor to the SS-21 “Tochka” short range missiles previously deployed in Europe. In recent months there have been reports that the newly designed missile—apparently designed to overcome advances with the American Patriot missile interceptor—will be deployed as soon as 2005.
Today the Minsk Belapan news agency reports that a number of these missiles will be sold to and deployed in Belarus sometime before 2010, citing a Colonel Henadz Shawrow.
The description of the Iskander-E missile matches that given in recent months, namely that it has a range of about 280km. New to this report is that the missile can reportedly deliver multiple conventional warheads of 480 kilograms each, each warhead consisting of 54 separate bomblets. (The weight of such payloads, however, may be too large to be correct.) The description also mentions that it is useful for either point or area targeting—implying it has a high degree of accuracy—and that it “can overcome any anti-ballistic missile system,” confirming earlier suggestions that it can overcome the Patriot.
The deployment will replace the Tochka-U (SS-21B) missiles currently in Belarus. (Article)
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