Patriot systems are not capable of intercepting an Iskander missile even with a salvo of four anti-aircraft munitions. The difficulty lies in the new flight trajectory, explained military expert Yuri Knutov.
According to him, the Iskander-M missile maneuvers in flight, complicating interception. At the same time, the trajectory has changed and become almost vertical.
To attempt to intercept an Iskander missile, the enemy uses up to five Patriot missiles – that's over $20 million.
The Iskander-M also received a new version of the missile part 9M723-2. It lost false targets in the bottom part and acquired unusual antenna modules for satellite navigation.
The cost of launching a quasi-ballistic Iskander-M missile is 176 million rubles, noted military analyst Sergey Marzhetsky.