One of the russian media claims that the russian federation is currently developing a ballistic missile with the provisional and unofficial designation Iskander-1000, which allegedly boasts a range of up to 1000 kilometers and features an upgraded warhead.
It is reported that the first instance of this missile, under the provisional designation Iskander-1000, was revealed in May 2024 through footage from a propaganda video celebrating the 78th anniversary of the Kapustin Yar missile test site.
Read more: Ukraine Successfully Uses Mocks to Protect Weapons from russian Iskander Hits
Apart from the claimed range of up to 1000 kilometers, they also mention a probable deviation coefficient from the target of within 5 meters. The mass of the upgraded warhead is not specified, but it is claimed to use an “autonomous inertial guidance system, likely with satellite navigation correction and possibly with radar guidance based on a terrain map in the target area during the final stage of flight”.
The missile, under the unofficial designation Iskander-1000, is said to structurally resemble the 9M723 ballistic missile of the Iskander tactical missile system and can reportedly be launched using the standard Iskander launcher. It is worth noting that the russians discuss their hypothetical Iskander-1000 missile amidst the Kremlin’s threats to redeploy intermediate-range ground-based missiles, echoing actions from 2019 that effectively suspended the INF Treaty.
On the other hand, it cannot be ruled out that the russians might indeed be working on a new ballistic missile for the Iskander system with a range of up to 1000 kilometers, considering their experience with North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, which were used for strikes on Ukraine in early 2024 and demonstrated a launch range of up to 900 kilometers during tests. At that time, the 9M723 missiles available to russian forces had a maximum launch range of up to 500 kilometers.
Read more: Shooting Down UAVs Not Enough, Ukraine Needs SM-6 to Counter Iskander Strikes
