Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO), together with the Russian insurgent group Chernaya Iskra (“Black Spark”), have struck an Iskander transport-loader in Russia’s Kursk region, the SSO reported on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
According to the SSO’s statement on Telegram, the operation took place near the village of Ovsyannikovo, in Russia’s Kursk region, early on Nov. 4.
“This vehicle was used to transport, load, and prepare missiles for launch, which were then fired at Ukraine,” the statement reads.
The Iskander missile complex consists of six types of vehicles – 51 in total per missile brigade – including 12 transport-loading vehicles, each capable of carrying two additional missiles. Every transport-loader weighs around 40 tons and operates with a crew of two.
The Iskander system enables Russia to conduct simultaneous strikes using Iskander-K cruise missiles and Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
Former Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat has explained that the Iskander-K is a ground-based version of the Kalibr cruise missile, while the Iskander-M is a ballistic missile that ascends to near-stratospheric altitudes before descending at high speed.
Both missiles carry warheads weighing around 500 kg (1,102 pounds), with a destructive radius of about 60 m (197 feet) and an operational range of 500-600 km (311-373 miles).
The Iskander-K, though subsonic, flies at low altitude, making it difficult to detect and intercept. The Iskander-M, believed to be capable of hypersonic speeds, uses an advanced guidance system that enhances accuracy and maneuverability, allowing it to evade air defenses.
Ukraine can intercept Iskander-M missiles primarily with Patriot air defense systems, but only if they enter the system’s engagement range. By contrast, Iskander-K missiles can be downed by a wider range of systems, including portable Igla or Stinger MANPADS.
Last week, the SSO announced that Ukrainian forces, together with the Russian insurgent / partisan movement, Chernaya Iskra, destroyed a 1L122 “Harmon” radar station near the village of Nizhny Reutets, Kursk region. The radar was used to detect and track air targets and provide targeting data.
“Ukrainian special operations forces continue to inflict ‘thousands of cuts’ on the enemy, bringing his offensive and strategic collapse closer,” the statement reads.
Last week, the SSO announced that, together with the Chernaya Iskra movement, it had destroyed Russia’s newest Buk-M3 air defense system (NATO reporting name: SA-27 Gollum) and struck a Nebo-U radar station in the Rostov region on Sept. 28.
“As a result, the Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system and the Nebo-U early warning radar station were turned into scrap metal in the Rostov region,” the SSO reported.
According to the SSO, both systems posed a serious threat to Ukrainian combat aviation near the front and complicated deep-strike operations inside Russia. Each of the destroyed systems, it added, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Buk-M3 is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, and other aerial or ground targets. The Nebo-U, meanwhile, is a long-range meter-band radar used by both Russia’s air defense and ground forces.