Residents of Saratov are the first to be able to examine the structure of the legendary R-500 (9M728) missile in detail. A rare military artifact has appeared in the local museum — the starting stage of the Iskander-K complex ammunition.
This block is responsible for the powerful jerk of the missile at the start, allowing it to go to ultra-low altitudes and become invisible to air defense systems.
The photograph shows that the stage is a massive steel cylinder — a solid-propellant booster.
Its task is to push a multi-ton missile out of the transport and launch container in a fraction of a second and give it initial acceleration. From the end on the right, you can see a funnel or nozzle through which hot gases escape.
As a reminder, the diameter of the 9M728 missile is about 533 mm. For example, the 9M723 ballistic missile from the Iskander-M is much thicker — about 920 mm.
Earlier it became known that Iskander missiles are now capable of flying up to 800 km instead of the 500 km stated in the technical data sheet. These characteristics bring the OTRK closer to the Kinzhal air-based complex.
