Eastern Military district of Russia will perform first exercise with new Iskander-M ballistic missile 12902162

Defence & Security News - Russia
 
Eastern Military district of Russia will perform first exercise with new Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The missile formation of Russia’s Eastern Military District in the Republic of Buryatia (Siberia) has been alerted for a tactical exercise, the district spokesman Colonel Alexander Gordeyev told reporters on Monday, February 29, 2016. According to him, it is the first exercise involving the formation after it received the Iskander-M tactical missile systems in 2015.
     
     
"The troops with their equipment will conduct a march on rough terrain to a military range in the region. During the march they will have at least 10 combat training drills, including repelling attacks of the imaginary enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups, the deployment of missile systems and launching missile strikes on assigned targets," he said.

The exercise is conducted under the supervision of Commander of the Eastern Military District’s Combined Arms Army, Major General Dmitry Kovalenko. The maneuvers are held to check commanders’ ability to take independent decisions in various conditions and the missile crews’ skills in the systems’ preparation for firing and making simulated electronic missile launches.

"It is a planned exercise that will last for five days. The drills involve more than 400 troops and about 50 units of military equipment," Gordeyev said.


Iskander Missile SS-26 Stone is a short range tactical missile system developed and produced in Russia. The Russian Defence Ministry plans to buy up to 120 Iskander-M tactical missile systems to equip at least five missile brigades of Iskander-M complexes by 2016.

Iskander-M is an extended range missile developed for the Russian Army. The missile has an expected range of more than 400 km with a flight altitude up to 6 to 50 km. It is equipped with inertial and optical guidance systems for improved firing accuracy and electro-optical seeker for self-homing capability.