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, TASS news agency reported.

“The Iskander-M (photo) 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. The Iskander family missiles had been developed by the KBM Design Bureau based in Kolomna, Moscow region, High-Precision Weapons (HPW) Holding subsidiary.

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 noted. Both systems are products of the Tula-based SPLAV NPO.

Further power could be added to the Russian artillery and missile forces with introduction of the Hermes over-horizon smart missile weapon system being developed by the Tula-based Shipunov KBP Design Bureau, another HPW subsidiary.

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.