MOSCOW, November 19. /TASS/. Russia has laid the scientific groundwork for a new weapon to replace the Iskander tactical missile system, Russia’s Missile Forces and Artillery Chief Lieutenant-General Mikhail Matveyevsky said in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper on Thursday.
"The Iskander-M will comply with modern requirements for quite a long time and will remain the basic weapon for the missile forces and artillery at least until 2030… As for the future weapon, we can say that quite substantial scientific groundwork is already available today for its development," the general said.
The Iskander-M tactical missile system is unique and its upgraded potential "has been tapped by less than a half," he stressed.
Russia is currently carrying out scientific work on the concept of advanced rocket artillery armament. Efforts are simultaneously underway for upgrading the capabilities of existing weapon systems. Today the Russian artillery troops are receiving upgraded Tornado-G medium-caliber multiple launch rocket systems and modernized Tornado-S launchers, the general said.
The Iskander-M tactical missile system is designated to strike adversary low-sized and site targets to a range of up to 500 km: missile launchers, multiple launch rocket systems, long-range artillery, aircraft and helicopters at aerodromes, command posts and communications centers.