Profile
- Type
- Road-mobile tactical ballistic and cruise missile system
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Origin
- Russia
- Service note
- Modern Russian tactical missile system
Artillery
9K720 Iskander
The 9K720 Iskander is a Russian road-mobile tactical missile system that launches short-range ballistic missiles and, in Iskander-K configuration, ground-launched cruise missiles. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has served as one of Russia's principal precision-strike systems for attacks beyond the immediate front line.
Service History
- In service
- Russian service from the 2000s to present
- Used by
- Russian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Kolomna Machine-Building Design Bureau (KBM)
- Designed
- Late Soviet and post-Soviet development; Iskander-M entered Russian service in the 2000s
- Built in
- Russia
- Produced
- 2000s to present
- Variants
- Iskander-M, Iskander-K, Iskander-E
Specifications
- Launcher
- 9P78-series road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher carrying two missiles
- Range
- Up to about 500 km for Iskander-M; export Iskander-E is reported at about 280 km
- Missile types
- 9M723 ballistic missile; 9M728/R-500 and 9M729 cruise missiles associated with Iskander-K
- Warhead
- Conventional or nuclear-capable payloads; 9M723 warhead commonly reported around 480-700 kg
- Guidance
- Inertial guidance with satellite and terminal guidance options reported for Russian-service variants
- Mobility
- 8x8 wheeled TEL with associated reload, command, maintenance, and support vehicles
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russia
Used by Russian forces for long-range strikes against Ukraine, including Iskander-M ballistic missile launches and Iskander-K cruise-missile attacks reported in Ukrainian Air Force strike summaries.
9K720 Iskander Images
Related Weapon Systems
Tochka-URoad-mobile tactical ballistic missile systemTochka-U is the upgraded 9K79-1/OTR-21 short-range tactical ballistic missile system, carried on a wheeled transporter-erector-launcher and designed for battlefield strikes with high-explosive or cluster warheads. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a legacy Soviet missile system used by both sides, giving Ukraine an indigenous long-range strike option early in the invasion while also appearing in documented Russian attacks.
Archer155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzerArcher is a Swedish 155 mm L52 wheeled self-propelled howitzer built around rapid automated firing and displacement from an armored cab. In Ukrainian service it adds NATO-caliber mobile tube artillery, with Sweden documenting both donated Archer systems and follow-on barrel support after intensive wartime use.
HarpoonCoastal and anti-ship cruise missile systemHarpoon is a U.S.-origin all-weather anti-ship cruise missile family built around active radar terminal homing and sea-skimming flight. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine received land-based Harpoon coastal defense systems and adapted truck-launched RGM-84 missiles to threaten Russian surface ships operating near the Black Sea coast.
Kh-47M2 KinzhalAir-launched aeroballistic missileThe Kh-47M2 Kinzhal is a Russian air-launched aeroballistic missile carried by modified aircraft such as the MiG-31K. It is reported to be derived from the Iskander-M missile family and gives Russia a high-speed conventional or nuclear-capable strike option used in the Russia-Ukraine War.
Storm ShadowAir-launched cruise missileStorm Shadow is the UK name for the Franco-British Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise missile, a low-observable deep-strike weapon built by MBDA for precision attacks on hardened or high-value fixed targets. In the Russia-Ukraine War, UK-supplied missiles gave Ukraine a longer-range conventional strike option that was integrated onto Su-24 aircraft.
BGM-109 TomahawkLong-range cruise missileThe BGM-109 Tomahawk is a U.S. long-range subsonic cruise missile launched from ships and submarines; it was fired from a guided-missile submarine during Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran.Sources
9K720 Iskander (SS-26)Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports Iskander system background, range, missile variants, launcher description, and manufacturer/developer context. | Accessed: 2026-06-19The Iskander-M and Iskander-K: A Technical ProfilePublisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Supports technical background on Iskander-M ballistic missiles and Iskander-K cruise-missile use. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Russia Used a Record Number of Iskander Ballistic Missiles to Strike UkrainePublisher: Militarnyi | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War combat-use context for Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile launches against Ukraine in June 2026. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Russia attacks Ukraine with Iskander missile and 323 dronesPublisher: Ukrainska Pravda | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War conflict-use context for a Russian attack involving an Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missile. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Iskander demo Army-2016Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary Iskander launcher image. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Russian Iskander-MPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-19