Russia to fire Iskander-M missile systems during Vostok 2018 exercise
Troops from the missile unit of the 41st Combined Arms Army of Russia’s Central Military District, which is stationed in the Sverdlovsk region, will fire shots from Iskander-M mobile tactical missile systems at the Kapustin Yar training ground as part of the Vostok 2018 military exercises, said the Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
“Iskander-M missile system crews were transferred earlier to the Astrakhan region by railroad transport. At the training ground, the troops marched to position regions, equipped the firing positions, armed the military equipment, and practiced electronic missile launches as preparation for completing military training assignments during maneuvers. During one of the maneuver episodes, Iskander-M system crews will launch a missile strike in order to destroy targets located several hundreds of kilometers away,” the Defense Ministry’s announcement states.
Iskander-M missile systems can destroy targets at a distance of up to 500 km, and are compatible with both ballistic and cruise missiles. The system is designed to destroy enemy multiple rocket launcher systems, anti-missile and anti-air defense systems, airplanes and helicopters at airfields, command centers, and infrastructure.
Between September 11-17, the large-scale Vostok-2018 (“East 2018”) military exercises are being held in Russia’s Far East and the Pacific Ocean under the leadership of Russian Defense Minister General Sergey Shoygu. The drills will involve roughly 300,000 soldiers, more than a thousand planes, helicopters and drones, as many as 36,000 tanks, armored transports and other vehicles, and up to 80 ships and supply vessels.