Russia struck Ukraine last weekend with upgraded Iskander-M ballistic missiles that are harder to intercept, even for the Patriot air defense system.
Six out of nine missiles launched at Kyiv were intercepted during the attack, including the Iskander and North Korean KN-23, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said.
Although a high interception rate, the Iskander was observed using a radar-decoy system as it approached targets and following a semi-ballistic trajectory, Ihnat explained.
“It complicates (the interception), but doesn’t make the interception impossible,” he was quoted as saying.
“I think our partners are already working to improve the system’s capabilities.”
Maneuverable Ballistic Missile
Compared to a cruise missile, a ballistic missile uses a predictable flight trajectory and has a much higher speed.
According to Ihnat, the modified Iskander performed effective maneuvers to evade interception.
“The main complication is that these missiles don’t fly on a straight path — they perform evasive maneuvers,” the air force spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“For the Patriot system, which calculates the interception point using a software algorithm, predicting that point becomes more difficult.”
An Iskander-M has an operational range of 400 to 500 kilometers (250 to 310 miles) and flies at a hypersonic speed of up to Mach 7 (8,643 kilometers/5,371 miles per hour).
The tactical ballistic missile flies at an altitude of 6 to 50 kilometers (4 to 31 miles) and features a 480 to 700 kilogram (1,060 to 1,540 pound) warhead.
