Missile 9K720 Iskander (SS-26 Stone)

Design work on the Iskander system began in December 1988, intended as a replacement for older missile systems following arms control treaty limitations. The dissolution of the USSR did not significantly affect its development, leading to a first successful launch in 1996. By 2004, the system was announced to be ready for production, with serial manufacturing launched in 2006, the same year it was officially adopted by the Russian army. A modernization of the system was announced in late 2016, and its precision was reportedly improved following the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Iskander is a tactical missile system designed for theater-level conflicts, capable of engaging both small and area targets, whether moving or stationary. Its key feature is its mobility, which makes pre-launch interception difficult. The missile follows a quasi-ballistic, relatively flat trajectory, never leaving the atmosphere, and can perform intensive evasive maneuvers and release decoys in its terminal phase to penetrate enemy missile defenses. It achieves hypersonic speeds. The system can be armed with a wide array of conventional warheads, including cluster munitions, fuel-air explosive, high-explosive fragmentation, earth-penetrating, and electromagnetic pulse variants. It is also capable of carrying a thermonuclear warhead with a yield estimated between 5 and 50 kilotonnes. The missiles can be re-targeted during flight and feature an advanced electro-optical guidance system for high-precision, self-homing capability against targets like bunkers, airfields, command posts, and troop concentrations.

Since entering service in 2006, the Iskander has been operated by Russia, Armenia, Algeria, and Belarus. Its first documented combat use was during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. Russia has deployed the system across its military districts and notably in the Kaliningrad Oblast. It has also seen deployment in Syria, where missiles were reportedly fired at opposition targets. Armenia is said to have used the missile during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. The Iskander system has been used extensively during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, striking numerous high-value targets, including air defense systems, airfields, and command posts. During this conflict, the system demonstrated a previously unseen decoy capability designed to defeat air defense systems.