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Russian-made Iskander (SS-26 Stone) ballistic missile methods are “fully ineffective”, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated yesterday. The Armenian Prime Minister argued that the Iskander ballistic missiles are problematic and ineffective. That is how Pashinyan responded to former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, who acknowledged that he would have used Iskander on the fourth day of the struggle in Nagorno-Karabakh. Sargsyan additionally requested why these complexes didn’t have an effect on the oil and fuel services of Azerbaijan. For its half, the prime minister stated that the Russian missiles are ineffective and don’t totally explode. “Let him ask the query, why...

Original in Japanese: 北朝鮮の飛翔体、弾道ミサイルか　国連制裁違反の可能性 ("North Korean Launch, Could Possibly Be Ballistic Missile, and Possible UN Violation") Two paragraph synopsis from the original Japanese--my translation (breaking): "Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the launch of projectiles yesterday from the east coast of North Korea into the Sea of Japan. Now based on photo analysis of the launch from images provided by official North Korean news sources, South Korean military specialists have analyzed the vehicle, and a viewpoint is emerging the launch yesterday was, in fact, likely a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions against North Korea launching such ballistic missiles." "...

Yesterday's bizarrely ominous presentation by Russian Vladimir Putin, where he showcased six super weapons that will supposedly give Russia an asymmetric edge over its potential foes—namely the United States—is still reverberating throughout the national security community. After we posted our master recap of the event and the weapons concepts featured in it, we and our incredible discussion crew here at The War Zone went to work dissecting what was presented in an attempt to parse fact from fiction. One system in particular that Putin touted seems to share a peculiar level of commonality with one of Russia's most prominent operational...

In what could mark an escalation of tensions with the West, commercial satellite images suggest that Russia is moving a new generation of nuclear-capable missiles into Eastern Europe. Russia appears to be preparing to permanently base its Iskander missile system in Kaliningrad, a sliver of territory it controls along the Baltic coast between Lithuania and Poland.

Russia has deployed its most advanced tactical missile system, the Iskander-M, in Syria in the last few days, debkafile reports exclusively from its military and intelligence sources. The Russian Iskander is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and has never been made available to any foreign army for operational use. No nuclear-capable surface missiles were deployed in any Arab country bordering on Israel since 2007 when Chinese DF-21 missiles were installed in Saudi Arabia. The Russian missiles (NATO codenamed SS-26) have a range of 500 kilometers (see map).

Saudi Arabia is discussing buying Russia’s Iskander tactical missile systems, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. "Saudi Arabia is set to intensify relations with Russia in all the spheres, including in the military field," al-Jubeir said. "Intensive contacts are taking place between the military delegations and specialists from both countries and a wide range of intended types of armaments from Russia is being discussed, including Iskander missile systems," the Saudi foreign minister said. In general, the deliveries of Russian armaments are being actively discussed and a contract may be...

Russia’s Kolomna Machine-Building Design Bureau is ready to export Iskander tactical systems, its Director-General and chief designer Valery Kashin told ITAR-TASS. The bureau conducted intensive marketing research in the previous years and even prepared a contract with a foreign customer, but it was never signed for political reasons, he said. “Then we stopped advancing the Iskander to foreign markets after we had been awarded a long-term contract from the Defence Ministry to supply the system to the Russian army, and we had to increase our output four to five times to fulfill the obligations,” Kashin said. Foreign customers were advised...

SNIPPET: "According to the paper, in accordance with contracts signed between the two, Russia has supplied Syria with S-300 and Iskander missile defense systems, and there are contacts between the sides for the provision of new models of MiG aircraft and air defense systems."

Transdnestr leader Igor Smirnov said in Moscow on Monday that the breakaway republic in Moldova was not opposed to Russia deploying its Iskander tactical missiles in the republic. "We said long ago that we are ready [for this]; we have asked Russia to keep its military presence indefinitely. We would not protest the deployment of Russian forces with any weapons for the protection of the Transdnestr, Russian and Ukrainian people," Smirnov said when answering journalists' questions about Transdnestr's readiness to host Russian ballistic missile defense systems. What could be the objective of a Russian base in the republic, should it...

Russia warned on Friday that it could revive plans to base missiles on NATO's doorstep amid growing controversy over new proposals for a US missile shield in central Europe. Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Moscow could still decide to station the missiles in Kaliningrad -- a western Russian exclave nestled between Poland and Lithuania -- if it felt its security was under threat. "If there is no additional threat to Russia's security, then we will not base Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad," Russian news agencies quoted Serdyukov as saying on a visit to Finland. "But if an additional threat appears, then...

OMSK (Siberia), February 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Omsk engine design and production bureau has started large-scale production of engines for missiles deployed on the Iskander-M tactical missile systems, a senior company official said on Friday. (Iskander (SS-26 Stone) tactical missile system. INFOgraphics) The Iskander-M system (NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone) is equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage 9M723K1 guided missiles with "quasi-ballistic" capability. "The company has received a large defense ministry order to manufacture engines for Iskander-M systems. The first batch must be supplied by the end of February," said Valery Kovalchuk, the bureau's deputy general director. Kovalchuk said that...

MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has started testing a new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to provide target designation for Iskander missile systems, a defense industry official said on Wednesday. "We are starting tests of a prototype of a reconnaissance/strike aerial drone, which could serve as a target designator for the Iskander tactical missile system," said Arkady Syroyezhko, director of UAV development programs at the Vega Radio Engineering Corp. The new Aist (Stork) multipurpose UAV with extended payload of up to 500 kg (1,100 pounds) will be capable of carrying a variety of aerial surveillance equipment, electronic warfare devices...

Russia has suspended the deployment of its Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad due to a change in U.S. missile defence policy in Europe, Interfax news agency quoted a military official as saying on Wednesday. "The implementation of these plans has been halted in connection with the fact that the new U.S. administration is not rushing through plans to deploy" elements of its missile defence shield in eastern Europe, Interfax quoted the unnamed official in the Russian military's general staff as saying.

A diplomatic crisis is brewing over Russia's potential sale of advanced missiles to Syria, a sworn enemy of Israel accused of supporting Hezbollah and Palestinian Arab terrorists. Israel's Channel Two TV reported yesterday that Russia plans to sell arms to Syria, including shoulder-fired missiles, which could threaten Israeli aircraft. In a separate report, the Russian newspaper Kommersant said the sale would include Iskander-E ground-to-ground missiles, which would give Syria the capability to strike almost anywhere in Israel. ...Russia last sold weapons to Syria two years ago, when Damascus purchased more than $130 million worth of Kornet and Metis anti-tank missiles......