MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. A brigade set of Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile systems has been delivered to the personnel of a missile large unit in the Western Military District, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.
The transfer ceremony was held at the Kapustin Yar practice range in south Russia.
"The missile brigade’s personnel has received several dozen launchers, transporter-loaders, command and staff vehicles, maintenance and life support vehicles and an information post. This is the Army’s 11th missile formation that has fully switched to the operation of the advanced missile system lately," the ministry said.
The brigade’s crews have started to learn to operate the latest missile complex at the Missile Force’s 60th training center in the Astrakhan Region in south Russia, the ministry added.
"Tactical drills will mark the concluding stage of the missile formation’s rearmament. After that, the formation’s entire personnel will make a march by rail to its permanent base," the Defense Ministry said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and the Machine-Building Design Bureau signed an additional agreement worth over 20 billion rubles ($338 million) at the Army 2017 military and technical forum on the delivery of two more brigade sets of Iskander-M missile systems.
Iskander tactical ballistic missile systems are capable of hitting both small-size and large-area targets at a distance of up to 500 km to destroy missile and multiple launch rocket systems, long-range artillery guns, aircraft and helicopters at aerodromes, command posts and communications centers.
The Iskander tactical ballistic missile complex includes a launcher, a loader-transporter, a routine maintenance vehicle, a command post vehicle, an information post, an ammunition equipment set and training aids.