- Dear Jeff,
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- You linked to the story about Bush's statement that he
might take down the GPS system in some situations.
-
- Note the Russian Iskandar-E missile, which A) uses GPS,
B) was sold to Iran, and C) is undergoing upgrading...
-
- http://www.missilethreat.com/missiles/ss-x-26_russia.html
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- SS-X-26
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- Country: Russian Federation
- Alternate Name: Stone, Iskander E, Tender
- Class: SRBM
- Basing: Road mobile
- Payload: Single warhead, 480 to 700 kg
- Warhead: HE unitary, HE submunitions, FAE, HE penetration
- Length: 7.30 m
- Diameter: 0.92 m
- Launch Weight: 3,800 kg
- Propulsion: Single-stage solid
- Range: 280 km
- Status: Operational
- Details
-
- Russian Designation: Tender
- Export Version: Iskander-E
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- The SS-X-26 is a short-range, road mobile, solid propellant
ballistic missile system. It began development in the Soviet Union during
the early 1970's as replacement for the 'Scud B'. Development of the SS-X-26
was accelerated when the SS-23 was banned by the 1987 INF treaty, resulting
in a lack of a modern theater missile system. The SS-X-26 has earned the
nickname of the 'Son of Scud', likely due to both its capabilities and
status as an export weapon.
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- The SS-X-26 is a tactical missile system designed to
be used in theater level conflicts. It is a strike system developed to
attack key military and support units. It was specifically designed to
avoid the 500 km (311 miles) range Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty
restriction and an export version was created to be under the 300 km (186
miles) export range limit from the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The missile lacks the range and payload to attack strategic targets, but
the accuracy and variety of warhead types make it an extremely flexible
battlefield system. It was designed to be able to destroy both stationary
and moving targets, specifically SAM sites, short-range missile launchers,
airfields, ports, command and communication centers, factories and hardened
defensive targets. In this way, the SS-X-26 can destroy both active military
units and targets to degrade the enemy's capability to wage war.
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- The TEL vehicle carries two missiles and is armored with
a plated sliding roof for the protection of the missile and its three operators.
The missiles are resistant to the effects of outside temperatures (from
-50° to +50° C), as well as offering Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
(NBC) protection, enabling the missile to be fired in almost any environment.
It is amphibious and can travel at 70 km/h (43 mph) and does not require
refueling for 1,100 km (684 miles). Each TEL vehicle contains all the requirements
to operate completely independently. Reload vehicles, each carrying two
missiles and a crane, enable prolonged battlefield operations.
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- The SS-X-26 actually has two variants, the Tender for
the Russian Federation military and the Iskander-E version for export.
The Tender has a range of 400 km (249 miles) and a payload of approximately
700 kg. The Iskander-E has a reduced range of 280 km (174 miles) and payload
of about 480 kg. Both systems uses a single separating warhead equipped
with a terminal guidance system, though the accuracy of the missile depends
upon which system is used. An inertial guidance system would probably give
an accuracy of 200 m CEP while inertial coupled with either a Global Positioning
Satellite (GPS) equivalent system would provide about 50 m CEP. The use
of the inertial navigation, GPS and optical correlation provides an accuracy
of 10 to 30 m CEP. Its warheads can be equipped with high explosives (HE),
HE submunitions, fuel-air explosives or a HE penetrator. During the terminal
phase, the missile is capable of making maneuvers of 30 g and can release
decoys, making it extremely difficult for theater missile defenses to intercept
the missiles. The SS-X-26 is 7.3 m long, 0.92 m in diameter, and has a
launch weight of 3,800 to 4,020 kg. It uses a single-stage solid propellant
engine.
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- The SS-X-26 entered development in the early 1970s as
a replacement for the 'Scud B' system. Following the withdraw of the SS-23
missile in 1987, the development of the SS-X-26 began in earnest. The first
flight test of the SS-X-26 took place in Oct 1995 and was scheduled for
1998-1999 production. Funding limitations delayed the final test program,
and as of 2002 there was no confirmation of a production order. The export
version of the SS-X-26 was first displayed in 1999 and it was reported
that the UAE was a potential buyer. In March of 2001, it was reported that
Iran was potentially negotiating a purchase. The Russian military service
version is believed to have entered service between 2002 and 2005.
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- Putin: Russia to Develop New Strategic Missile
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- November 17, 2004 :: AP :: News
- President Vladimir Putin noted today, in a speech to
the Russian military leadership, that Russia has been developing a new
form of strategic weapon. Putin has affirmed Russia's intention to do so
on a number of occasions. Previous reports have suggested that the new
weapon may consist of a hypersonic cruise missile or a hypersonic warhead
for an existing missile, either of which could evade U.S. ballistic missile
defenses. The United States yesterday tested the X-43 hypersonic system,
reaching a new speed record of ten times the speed of sound.
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- Although Putin's speech today added few details, it is
nevertheless notable. Putin said that Russia "is not only conducting
research and successfully testing new nuclear-missile systems. I am sure
that they will be put in service within the next few years and, what is
more, they will be developments of the kind that other nuclear powers do
not and will not have," according to ITAR-Tass, Russia's state news
agency.
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- Of particular interest is Putin's understanding that
strategic forces and concern with terrorism go hand in hand, rather than
being in competition with each other. "International terrorism is
one of the major threats for Russia. We understand as soon as we ignore
such components of our defense as a nuclear and missile shield, other threats
may occur." By contrast, some missile defense opponents in America
depreciate missile defense as a distraction from the war on terror, when
both are essential to American national security. (More »»»)
- » CNN on Putin speech
- » Update: Nov. 18: Experts say Putin remark refer
to Bulava
- » More stories on: Russia
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- Belarus to Acquire Iskander Missiles
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- November 12, 2004 :: News
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- In recent years Russia has been developing a new version
of the SS-X-26 Iskander ballistic missile, a short range tactical weapon
designed as a successor to the SS-21 "Tochka" short range missiles
previously deployed in Europe. In recent months there have been reports
that the newly designed missile-apparently designed to overcome advances
with the American Patriot missile interceptor-will be deployed as soon
as 2005.
-
- Today the Minsk Belapan news agency reports that a number
of these missiles will be sold to and deployed in Belarus sometime before
2010, citing a Colonel Henadz Shawrow.
-
- The description of the Iskander-E missile matches that
given in recent months, namely that it has a range of about 280km. New
to this report is that the missile can reportedly deliver multiple conventional
warheads of 480 kilograms each, each warhead consisting of 54 separate
bomblets. (The weight of such payloads, however, may be too large to be
correct.) The description also mentions that it is useful for either point
or area targeting-implying it has a high degree of accuracy-and that it
"can overcome any anti-ballistic missile system," confirming
earlier suggestions that it can overcome the Patriot.
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- The deployment will replace the Tochka-U (SS-21B) missiles
currently in Belarus. (Article, Link)
- » More stories on: Former Soviet Republics and
Russia
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- New Chinese Missile, B-611
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- November 1, 2004 :: Reuters :: News
- Citing Reuters, The New Zealand Herald reports that a
new Chinese short-range ballistic missile was revealed November 1. The
missile's stated range is 80-150km makes it possibly sufficient to strike
Taiwan (~160km distant), according to information distributed at the Zhuhai
air show. The missile is given the appellation "B-611." the B-611
was further described as "an effective weapon in the battlefield for
fire support and an important attacking force in modern conventional wars."
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- Update: November 11: East Asia Intel reports that Chinese
descriptions of the missile at the airshow compared it to the Russian SS-X-26,
also known as Stone, Tender, or Iskander. The missile is also said to have
a payload capacity of 480kg, and an accuracy (Circular Error of Probability)
of 150 meters. (Article, Link)
- » Oct. 30: Chinese airshow to sport new military
equipment
- » Nov. 2: AFP: Display is first of Chinese surface-to-surface
missiles
- » More stories on: China and Taiwan
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- Iskander (SS-X-26) to be Deployed in 2005
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- October 13, 2004 :: Jane's Information Group :: News
- Russia will likely deploy an Iskander missile brigade
in 2005, according to a recent report in the October edition of Janes Missiles
and Rockets. The Iskander, also known as "Tender," is apparently
for Russian use, as distinct from the Iskander E, for foreign export. The
Russian version may have a range of 400km, a 480kg payload capacity, whereas
the export version has a reported maximum range of 280km. A prominent feature
of the Iskander missiles is their ability to be retargeted during flight,
permitting greater accuracy. (Link)
- » Picture of Iskander
- » More stories on: Russia
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- Russia's New Iskander Missile; Response to America's
Patriot?
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- August 27, 2004 :: RIA-Novosti :: News
- Testing for a new Iskander missile has been completed,
reports the Russian news agency, RIA Novosti.
-
- President Putin is said to have asked Russian Minister
of Defense Sergei Ivanov if the missile can be deployed quickly. Ivanov
replied that it could be. Similar news reports suggest that the military
may adopt the missile in 2005.
-
- The relation of the "new" missile is unclear,
however, to the much older SS-X-26 known as "Stone," "Tender,"
and "Iskander-E" (the export version, already marketed to a number
of countries, including Syria and Iran). As noted in the 2001 National
Intelligence Estimate on the foreign ballistic missile threat, the SS-21
(Tochka) and the SS-26 (Iskander) have both already been serving Russia
well for its short range nuclear arsenal: "The SS-21 and SS-26 SRBMs
provide Russian general-purpose ground forces with a rapid, precision-guided,
theater deep-strike capability." There was a report in October 2003,
however, that the SS-26 Iskander missile was undergoing improvements.
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- The new Iskander is said to be capable of carrying either
a nuclear or a conventional warhead. It was also described as a successor
to the SS-21B "Tochka-U." Unlike Tochka, however, the new Iskander
system is said to have two missiles rather than one.
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- Channel One TV in Moscow gave a few more details of Iskander
missile, which is describes as a "new generation weapon," a "closely
guarded secret," and employing "stealth technology."
-
- Also of interest are the potential targets listed for
the missile. These are said to include "missile systems, long-range
artillery, aircraft at airfields, air defence and anti-missile defence
systems and communications control centres" (emphasis added). The
broadcast continued to say that "the system's specifications show
that the promising American air defence missile system, Patriot, will be
unable to match Iskander."
-
- Could the Iskander be designed to destroy deployments
of Patriot batteries? If so, marketing it to Syria and Iran would seem
to indicate a clear purpose of negating America's own attempts to counter
the menace of those countries' ballistic missile arsenals.
-
- Moscow television news report also included a list of
the missile's characteristics:
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- Flight range: 280 km; Launch weight of missile: 3,800
kg; Warhead mass: 480 kg; Warhead type: cluster (54 submunitions), fragmentation-high
explosive, penetrating; Number of missiles on launcher: two
-
- The payload weight of 480kg would correspond to the previously
known weights of the SS-X-26, but the reported range could indicate slight
differences. Minister Ivanov is quoted as saying that the new Iskander
has an effective range of up to 300 km, while also noting that it is a
"high-precision missile." Moreover, versions of the older Iskander
had a range of between 280 (export version) and 400 km (Russian version).
(Article, Link)
- » More stories on: Russia and Testing - Foreign
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- Iskander Upgrades Designed to Outpace Patriot
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- October 14, 2003 :: Middle East Newsline :: News
- One of Russia's export ballistic missiles, the Iskander-E,
which it has marketed to countries such as Syria and Iran, will soon be
undergoing upgrades, although still in development. These upgrades are
meant to permit the missile to overcome the US PAC-3 Patriot defensive
system. The Iskander, also known as the SS-26, carries a single warhead
of 480 to 700kg, and has a range of 280km. (Article, Link)
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- » More stories on: Proliferation and Russia
- » Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced
Capability-3 (PAC-3)
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