Depth of impact: Russian Armed Forces used a new type of Iskander-M missile
Western sources report that the Russian Armed Forces are using a new type of Iskander-M missiles with a penetrating warhead in the zone of a special military operation. It allows destroying underground bunkers, massive concrete buildings and enemy command centers. "Izvestia" found out what capabilities the new unique missile system can have.
A new missile of the Iskander-M complex
Western observers and representatives of the AFU said the other day that the Russian Armed Forces began using ballistic missiles 9M723F3 of the 9K720 Iskander-M complex, equipped with new penetrating warheads (warheads). The enemy showed fragments of the warhead in a steel casing resembling a large-caliber artillery shell. Information about the use of such warheads was confirmed by Izvestia sources familiar with the situation.
The AFU demonstrated a similar warhead more than a year ago. The story was widely covered in the Ukrainian media and TV channels. At that time, the appearance of the warhead of the Kinzhal air system did not seem to the expert community to resemble a hypersonic projectile and was not taken seriously. Quite in vain.
MiG-31 multirole fighter with the Kinzhal hypersonic missile
The fact is that in most cases, the warhead is located inside the missile and can seriously differ in its geometric shape and form from the body. Therefore, the very "shell", which was then shown in Kiev, may indeed be a penetrating warhead of the hypersonic "Kinzhal".
Such a warhead is inside the streamlined body and at the moment of fall continues to move by inertia into the depths of the structure or soil. At a speed of about 950-1150 m/s into soft ground such a warhead can go dozens of meters deep. When hitting a building, it can penetrate concrete floor slabs and explode inside the protected room.
The strikes are aimed at the enemy's command centers and underground infrastructure
Modern ballistic missiles of Iskander-M and Kinzhal complexes have high accuracy of hitting objects - the miss value can range from 1-2 to 8-10 meters, and with such accuracy it becomes possible to deliver a high-precision decapitation strike, for example, against an enemy underground command post or a protected bunker where some object of military infrastructure is deployed.
Iskander-M missile system
Such strikes are particularly sensitive and effective when missileers cooperate with intelligence in real time. It is conducted within the framework of reconnaissance and strike complexes, in which intelligence structures directly transmit information to the command and staff vehicles of missile divisions, where information on targets is prepared and flight assignments for missiles are formed.
Modern technologies make it possible to reduce the time from detecting, for example, a HIMARS launcher to striking it to a matter of minutes. And here ballistic missiles have an undeniable advantage - high flight speed. Even if the enemy detects the missile launch by space or air means, he will not have time to withdraw his equipment or military formation from the impact.
Is it possible to shoot down a ballistic missile?
Technically it is possible, but it is extremely difficult to shoot down a modern ballistic missile - this requires anti-aircraft systems with anti-missile capabilities, and there are few of them in the world.
Iskander-M missile system
The fact is that Iskander-M and Kinzhal missiles are aeroballistic and can maneuver in the atmospheric section of flight. And that is why even the AFU admits that if for cruise missiles the probability of their interception is about 50%, then for modern Russian ballistic missiles it is only 4%.
By the way, even less likely to hit supersonic missiles such as X-22 - about 0.55%. And then the AFU notes that to achieve such indicators requires a significant consumption of ammunition of anti-aircraft systems such as Patriot, that is, one missile is usually launched several anti-missiles. And, by the way, only Patriot can in principle shoot down ballistic missiles of the types in question. And the Ukrainians have limited stocks of missiles for them.
Strike operations of the Russian Armed Forces
The Russian Armed Forces vary the use of missiles of different classes during strike operations. The capabilities of the Iskander-M modular missile system are also fully demonstrated here - the complex can use not only 9M723 ballistic missiles, but also 9M728 cruise missiles.
Launch of a ballistic missile of the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system
Cruise missiles are used against objects that are not protected by a powerful air defense system, while ballistic missiles are used vice versa. And ballistics are especially needed to destroy enemy SAMs.
The traditional Iskander-M 480 kg fragmentation warhead is effective in destroying SAMs in protected positions, as it allows destroying the launcher or radar, which are protected by caponiers. But the cluster warhead with 54 warheads is very effective when working on targets in open terrain. And it can be almost any lightly armored targets or personnel. The area covered by one such warhead is comparable to the area of a stadium. The cluster munition is effective against deployed Patriot SAMs.
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