Russia could send Iskander tactical missiles to Kaliningrad if US upgrades German nuclear arsenal 12409151

Defence & Security News - Russia
 
Russia could send Iskander tactical missiles to Kaliningrad if US upgrades German nuclear arsenal.
Russia could send Iskander short-range tactical missiles to Kaliningrad if United States upgrades German nuclear arsenal, Russia's state-run Interfax news agency cited a military source on September 23, 2015.
     
Russia could send Iskander short-range tactical missiles to Kaliningrad if United States upgrades German nuclear arsenal, Russia's state-run Interfax news agency cited a military source on September 23, 2015. Russian army Iskander-M short-range tactical missile during firing test.
     
"A final decision well be taken after detailed analysis of the potential threat," the agency cited the source as saying.

A day earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, told Germany's ZDF TV channel that some European states have nuclear weapons as part of the framework of NATO's nuclear sharing program. She said this contravenes the Treaty of Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which was ratified by 191 nations in 1970 to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

Iskander-M, an upgraded version of the Iskander tactical missile system, can hit targets located deep inside the enemy lines. Officially adopted by the Russian Army in 2006, the Iskander-M system is equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage guided missiles, model 9M723K1. Each one is controlled throughout the entire flight path and fitted with an inseparable warhead. Each missile in the launch carrier vehicle can be independently targeted in a matter of seconds. The mobility of the Iskander launch platform makes a launch difficult to prevent.

The Iskander-M weighs 4615 kg, carries a warhead of 710–800 kg, has amaximum range of 500 km.

In July 2015, Russia’s Central Military District has successfully test-fired Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems. Russia has deployed several Iskander missiles to its territories over the past few months amid growing tensions with the West over the conflict in eastern Ukraine.