Janes.
With reported 500-km range from Kaliningrad, the Iskander-M can cover targets throughout Poland, the Baltic states, and southern Sweden. If armed with cruise missiles (SSC-8 or Russian designator 9M729), their reach is much greater. Their 2,000-km or greater range allows them to strike targets close to Paris.
Why Now? Why Not?
Iskander-M in Kaliningrad was always just a question of timing.
Since at least 2014, the Russian Army has temporarily deployed Iskander-M launchers to Kaliningrad from the “mainland” for exercises.
As CAST reported, Jane’s Defence Weekly published photographs of characteristic “tent-mobile shelters” under construction for the new SRBMs at the Chernyakhovsk base in February.
But why now? Because the missiles and associated equipment have been produced and Moscow loses nothing at this point.
The Kremlin always said it could deploy the new SRBMs to its Baltic exclave to counter Aegis BMD (Aegis Ashore) in Poland slated for completion in 2018.
There are enhanced U.S. and NATO ground deployments to Poland to assure the easternmost allies in the wake of Russia’s occupation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
Perhaps relevant here is the possibility the U.S. Congress will authorize DOD development of a new U.S. intermediate-range missile to answer Russia’s material breach of the 1987 INF Treaty.
And U.S.-Russian relations are the worst since the end of the Cold War.
https://russiandefpolicy.blog/tag/iskander-m/
Unh-hunh.
You're, innately susceptible to really low grade Russian propaganda. It would also be helpful if you'd studied some physics along the way and might appreciate how ludicrous the whole thing is.
About four decades back, Russian warships used to sport ENORMOUS Missile's on launchers on their foredecks. Man we're they Macho! Mean looking! Totally useless theatre props! If they actually worked after being splashed with sea water for months (missiles are REALLY delicate gear and need to be sealed up in silo/launchers) they are a one shot deal. In the age before sea-skimming cruise missiles, those muy macho BRISTLING Russian missiles would have straight up, then straight down. No chance of a re-load any time soon. A Trebuchet would have been more useful to the.
Here we go, Again. Another generation of rubes is falling for that old Russian theatrical schtick.