Ukrainain Drone Strike Takes Out Russian Iskander-M Missile Launchers

Images released by Russian sources have confirmed that a Ukrainain drone attack has damaged several mobile launch vehicles from the Iskander-M ballistic missile system, some of which may have been destroyed. The lack of signs of a larger explosion indicates that no missiles were detonated, likely because the launchers were not armed at the time of the attack. Ukrainain sources reported that 14 single use drones were used to strike the launchers, with the attack having occurred within the context of a broader campaign of intensified strikes on Russian targets. Ukraine lacks either a significant fighter fleet capable of long range precision strikes, or substantial cruise or ballistic missile strike capabilities from ground launchers or warships, which has resulted in a high reliance on the use of drones to attack high value Russian targets. Some of the most high profile successes of these attacks have involved the destruction of high value aircraft at their bases, with an example being the targeting of Russian airfields on June 1 to destroy multiple Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers at multiple bases in the country.

Significant support from Western personnel on the ground and access to satellite intelligence have been key to facilitating Ukrainian drone attacks, as has the tremendous supply of parts and funding to sustain drone production in Ukraine. Russia has recently responded to repeated attacks on its airfields by building new hardened shelters for its fighters. Launch vehicles for the Iskander-M system represent a relatively low value target, with the production of such vehicles having increased very significantly since the outbreak of hostilities in early 2022, while the lack of missiles or personnel at the targeted site limits the extent of the damage to the broader Russian war effort. Nevertheless, the central importance the Iskander-M system has had for the Russian war effort has made the attack highly symbolic, with successful attacks on launchers having been relatively few and far between.

Each Iskander-M brigade is comprised of 51 vehicles, including 12 transporter erector launchers, 12 reload vehicles, 11 command vehicles, 14 personnel support vehicles, one data preparation vehicle, and one service and repair vehicle. Each can deploy 48 missiles simultaneously and quickly re-equip if near to missile storage facilities. Iskander-M systems have frequently been used to destroy high value Ukrainain assets, including the destruction of batteries, radars and command vehicles from multiple MIM-104 Patriot missile systems, which are Ukraine’s most costly military assets, while also being used to single out elite units including foreign fighters for precision strikes. Although Russian forces initially suffered from a strain on stocks of 9K720 missiles for these systems, an increase in production to several times pre-war rates has made missiles highly ready availably allowing these new tactics to be utilised. One of the most notable such tactics has been the launching of ‘double strikes,’ which involve two missile attacks on targets with a delay between them, allowing the second missile to cause greater casualties as enemy personnel gather around the impact site.