After suffering one of the most significant air attacks in terms of scale since the beginning of the war, which left a dozen civilians injured in Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities stated that the Russian Armed Forces had upgraded their Iskander ballistic missiles to counter the Patriot defense systems donated by their Western allies. The news was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Inhat, who nonetheless emphasized that two-thirds of the missiles launched by Moscow were intercepted by the country’s air defense network.
Expanding on details, Inhat stated that two types of missiles were used in the attack, namely the aforementioned Iskander and the KN-23 missiles of North Korean origin; in addition to a large number of drones that reportedly surpassed all previous precedents. In particular, a total of 9 missiles were detected being launched towards Kyiv, six of which were shot down by the Ukrainian air defense. That interception rate is “a high number”, according to the Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, although the fact that Russia is modifying its ballistic missiles is a major concern for the future, especially considering the high level of strain that Patriot and similar systems currently in service are being subjected to.
Quoting some of the statements made by spokesperson Inhat: “Two-thirds is a high number. But we know that Russia is improving its ballistic weapons. It makes interception (Editor´s note: Of the missiles) more difficult, but not impossible. I believe our partners are already working to improve the system’s capabilities.”
As for the modifications implemented on the Iskander missiles, Ukrainian reports point to the incorporation of a new decoy system designed to mislead the radars of ground-based batteries, as well as the use of quasi-ballistic trajectories to make interception more difficult. This latter feature means, as described, that the Russian missile does not follow a fixed, predictable route for the air defense system in charge of shooting it down, but instead performs various maneuvers in the air that complicate the interception calculations performed by the launcher’s integrated software.
Reviewing the previously known characteristics of the Iskander-M missile, we can state that it is a weapon capable of hitting targets at maximum distances of between 400 and 500 kilometers, and can carry warheads of up to 700 kilograms; both conventional and nuclear types. Each unit uses a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV), which — combined with the aforementioned upgrades — is intended to complicate interception efforts. Additionally, they feature inertial and optical guidance systems, which give them a circular error probable (CEP) of 10 to 30 meters.
Needless to say, this is a weapon previously used by the Russian Armed Forces in their invasion of Ukraine, particularly as it allows for long-range attacks on strategic targets. A clear example of this was in mid-2024, when Iskander missiles were launched at the Myrhorod Air Base of the Ukrainian Air Force in the Poltava Oblast, resulting in the destruction of two Su-27 fighters belonging to the institution through the use of cluster munitions.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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