Iskander-M missile System

Context

President Vladimir Putin has recently said that Russia will send nuclear capable short-range missile systems to its ally Belarus in the coming months.

About

Iskander-M system:

The Iskander-M is a mobile guided missile system code-named "SS-26 Stone" by NATO, which replaced the Soviet "Scud."
Russia defines Iskander-M System as both the transporter-erector launch system and the short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) it fires.
The system can also fire ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) – the SSC-7 and the SSC-8.
The Iskander-M system has been exclusively used by the Russian military, whereas Iskander-E is the one meant for export.
US-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), says that the Iskander missiles are designed to confuse missile defences by flying on a low trajectory and manoeuvring in flight to strike targets within 2 to 5 metres accuracy.

Missile’s capability and range:

Range: The Iskander-M missile has a range of 500 km and it can carry a payload of up to 700 kg.
Weapon: It is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads.
The conventional warheads can be equipped with include cluster bombs, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) warheads and bunker-buster munitions.
The export variant, Iskander-E, has a range of 280 km with a reduced 480 kg payload.

Introduction and usage:

Iskander system was inducted by Russia in 2006.
Its development picked pace in the late 1980s after the “Oka” SRBM or the OTR-23 was banned under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.
The Oka was Russia’s first attempt to replace the Soviet Scud missiles.
Iskander was the second.
Russia first used the Iskander in combat in Georgia in 2008.

Warning to the west:

Russia has used the Iskander system to project power against Europe, more so because of its ability to be fitted with tactical nuclear warheads.
In 2012, Moscow said that the weapon could be used to target Europe’s missile defences.
The Iskander system has already been deployed in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave, from where it can be fired to target NATO forces in Poland, the Baltic States, and Sweden.