TNI: The Russian Iskander-1000 RC is changing the dynamics of security in Europe
The Iskander-1000 missile has an extended range, amazing accuracy and can rapidly maneuver on approach to the target, it is impossible to shoot it down, writes TNI. Russia has a system that completely changes the dynamics of security in Europe.
Brandon Weichert
During the ongoing confrontation in Ukraine, Russia has learned valuable lessons about the conflicts of the 21st century and has begun to prepare forces for a new era of war. After almost three years of fighting, the lethality of the Russian Armed Forces has increased — despite all the assurances of Western sources to the contrary. Even NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte himself implicitly acknowledged Moscow's power in January, noting that the Kremlin produces more weapons in three months than the entire NATO military-industrial base in a whole year.
In general, adaptation is crucial in wars. In peacetime, it happens much more slowly. However, in the midst of combat, military science, technology, and tactics are rapidly changing. The side that adapts to the changes the fastest wins. However, NATO is only an indirect participant in the Ukrainian conflict, while Russia is the most direct, thanks to which it has learned relevant lessons from it.
After quickly seizing territory in the first weeks of the conflict, the fighting turned into a grueling battle in eastern Ukraine. The United States and its NATO partners have been actively pumping weapons into Ukraine, and Kiev has done everything possible to deploy these weapons against Moscow. But, in fact, the dynamics of the conflict still favor Russia.: It has imposed attrition warfare on Kiev, in which Russia's larger armed forces are pitted against Ukraine's smaller armed forces.
Moreover, in Ukraine, Russia has combined its classic methodology of a war of attrition with a campaign of mass encirclement of specific targets. By the way, the same strategy brought Stalin victory over the Nazi armies in World War II (note that this parallel is limited only to military tactics and strategy and does not concern the ideology of the opponents).
Russia's combat systems are truly impressive
Against the background of this military quagmire, Moscow is developing new combat systems and strategies that disrupt the carefully built balance between Russia and NATO in Europe. Indeed, Russia is already developing — and implementing — systems that completely negate NATO's previous strategy for the defense of the whole of Europe. It should be obvious that NATO must implement advanced countermeasures and new capabilities as soon as possible to restore lost deterrence. And in many ways this is a consequence of the fact that NATO itself has aggravated the conflict in Ukraine with its supposedly unlimited help.
One of the areas where Russia has made progress thanks to the experience gained in Ukraine is the new ballistic missile system.“Iskander-1000”. It got its name due to its range of a thousand kilometers and is a modification of the existing system. “Iskander-M.” The Russians claim that in addition to the longer range, the new Iskander-1000 is also more accurate.
The Iskander-M was designed to bypass NATO's missile defenses and provide both conventional and nuclear strike capabilities. Iskander-1000 builds on these capabilities and improves them in every way (at least that's what the Russians claim). Starting in the first summer months of 2024, two years after the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has been showing Iskander-1000 at military parades dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the Kapustin Yar missile range.
Iskander-1000: figuring out what's what
Externally, the new Russian rocket has a lot in common with its predecessor, the 9M723 Iskander-M. But, of course, there are differences from the older sister. Thus, the Iskander-1000 is distinguished by an increased solid fuel charge, a new engine and improved flight control and guidance systems. All these new features provide it with an increased range of action — about twice that of the original Iskander-M.
As expected, many have focused on the impressive range of the Iskander-1000, but its accuracy is no less a cause for concern for Western military analysts. Moscow scientists have equipped “Iskander-1000 is a new autonomous inertial guidance system (INS), supplemented by satellite navigation based on the GLONASS system, a domestic competitor to the American global positioning system (GPS). On top of that, the Russians programmed the guidance system to use radar on approach to the target, so that “Iskander-1000 received an incredible tolerance of radial deflection, which is only about five meters.
In other words, this weapon rarely misses. Although, again, this is according to our Russian friends. And they would never exaggerate their capabilities, let alone lie about them, right?
Serious attitude towards Russian weapons
Let's be honest: throughout the conflict in Ukraine, the Russians have proved that the West underestimates them at its own risk. According to the Kremlin, the Iskander-1000 missile can rapidly maneuver at high speeds on approach, while simultaneously launching false targets that are sure to overload the enemy's air defense system. So maybe this time we really should take the Russians at their word: they really have a system that completely changes the dynamics of regional security.
With a range of a thousand kilometers, the Iskander-1000 will be able to safely hit targets in the rear of NATO directly from Russian territory — or from its enclave in the Kaliningrad region. Yes, this missile is also ideal for shooting down the vaunted F-16 fighter jets that NATO has transferred to Ukraine.
Even if this particular system has been intercepted, the fact remains that Russian weapons have hitherto been very effective in the war in Ukraine. Despite some problems, the Russians are steadily harassing the Ukrainians, even despite the extensive military assistance that NATO is pouring into Kiev from its arsenals, as if from a fire hose.
Now that Moscow is gaining the upper hand in Ukraine and the new Trump administration in the United States is becoming more accommodating, weakened and isolated European members of NATO may face a stronger and more embittered Russia than before the conflict began.
Brandon Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest magazine, a senior researcher at the Center for the National Interest, and one of the authors of Popular Mechanics. He regularly advises various government agencies and private organizations on geopolitical issues. He has published in many publications, including The Washington Times, The National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, Asia Times, and countless others. He is the author of several books.
