The Interfax news agency cited a military source on Wednesday 24thSeptember saying that Russia is planning the deployment of Iskander ballistic missiles towards Kaliningrad should the United States upgrade its nuclear weapons in Germany.
The Iskander-M ballistic missile (NATO code name SS-26 Stone) is a short ranged ballistic missile that can deliver accurate strikes against high priority, small-sized and dispersed area targets. The Iskander can hit targets as far as 500 kilometers away.
The missile features a smaller warhead (decreasing weight and increasing range) and improved terminal precision. Improved precision may be achieved through the use of an improved inertial guidance package; infrared (IR) guidance in the terminal phase; satellite guidance during the mid-flight and terminal phases; an active millimeter wave radar (MWR); or some combination of these.
The Iskander missile is designed for a variety of missions, fitting several different warheads to meet the needs of the operational commander. These include a cluster munitions warhead containing up to 10 submunitions, a bunker-busting tactical earth penetrator, a fuel-air explosive enhanced-blast warhead for wide area attacks and even an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) warhead for use against radar and electronics systems.
Analysis
The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad between Poland and Lithuania forms an important forward strategic area for Russia. By stationing Iskander-M ballistic missiles in this region Russian missile forces will have an additional range for striking targets in central Europe.
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| Kaliningrad gives Russian missile forces a greater range to strike targets inside Europe |
The deployment of Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad also allows Russia to circumvent the US missile shield of in Eastern Europe as the radars for the missile shield are stationed in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russia still believes that the US missile shield is intended against them in order to intercept Russian ICBMs and deny Russia the capabilities of a retaliatory nuclear strike in case the country gets attacked first. Thus Russia watches any US nuclear activity in Europe closely.
The Iskander-M missiles are using conventional warheads and are aimed at taking out key infrastructure like airports, radars, bunkers and command posts. Russia has always threatened to bring back the Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad. Given the current bad relations between Russia and the West it is more than likely that Russia will place the Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad should the US upgrade its nuclear weapons in Germany.
But even with a 500 km range the Iskander missile is incapable of hitting targets inside Germany and be a direct threat against Us nuclear weapon stationed in Germany. It will be a credible threat against Poland, Lithuania and Latvia and Russia hopes that by putting pressure on these countries that they will persuade the US for taking a less provocative stance on the matter.
