Munitions

9M728 R-500 cruise missile

Also known as
  • 9M728
  • R-500
  • SSC-7
  • SSC-X-7
  • Iskander-K cruise missile
  • 9M728 Iskander-K

The 9M728 R-500 is a Russian ground-launched cruise missile associated with the Iskander-K configuration of the 9K720 Iskander system. It gives the road-mobile Iskander launcher a low-altitude land-attack cruise-missile option alongside the 9M723 ballistic missile family, and has been documented in Russian use during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present.

9M728 R-500 cruise missile, Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile, Munitions
Image source: Commons Iskander-K TEL Army-2022

Use in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine Warprecision firesdeep strikestrike
Side
Russia
Role
Ground-launched cruise-missile strikes

Russian forces have used Iskander-K cruise missiles in Ukraine; RUSI specifically identifies 9M728 among the Iskander cruise-missile types used in the war, and the Wisconsin Project lists 9M728/R-500 in its table of Russian missiles used in Ukraine.

Profile / Specs

Specifications

Missile class
Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile
Launch platform
9P78-1 Iskander-M/Iskander-K transporter-erector-launcher with cruise-missile canisters
Range
About 500 km reported for 9M728/R-500 in open sources
Warhead
Approximately 480 kg conventional payload reported
Flight profile
Low-altitude variable cruise profile; RUSI cites 50-150 m above land and lower terminal approach claims
Guidance
Inertial/satellite navigation with reported radar and TV/optical terminal-processing components
Propulsion
Solid-propellant launch booster with a TRDD-50BE cruise engine reported for R-500
Variants

Open sources treat 9M728/R-500 as the principal SSC-7 Iskander-K cruise missile, while RUSI notes that 9M727 may be an earlier related cruise missile and that public distinctions between the two are unclear.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
9M727Related Iskander cruise missile

RUSI describes the 9M727 as possibly an earlier version of 9M728, with both types reported in Ukraine and public differences unclear.

Sources: RUSI Iskander-M and Iskander-K technical profile

9M729Related Iskander cruise missile

CSIS identifies 9M729 as another cruise missile that the common Iskander TEL and support vehicles can fire.

Sources: CSIS 9K720 Iskander SS-26

Launch Platform

The 9M728 is cataloged separately from the Iskander launcher because open sources describe it as a munition fired by the road-mobile Iskander system.

LauncherLauncher typeLaunch evidence
9K720 Iskander, Road-mobile tactical ballistic and cruise missile system, Artillery9K720 IskanderRoad-mobile missile system

CSIS describes the common Iskander TEL and support vehicles as able to fire 9M728/R-500 cruise missiles, and RUSI describes mixed missile loads on the 9P78-1 launcher.

Sources: CSIS 9K720 Iskander SS-26, RUSI Iskander-M and Iskander-K technical profile

Designation And Launcher Context

The 9M728 record separates the cruise missile from the Iskander launcher family so readers can distinguish munition evidence from system-level Iskander coverage.

DesignationReader contextSourced distinction
9M728 / R-500 / SSC-7Ground-launched cruise missileListed by CSIS and the Wisconsin Project as an Iskander-K cruise missile used by Russian forces.
9K720 IskanderLauncher and missile-system familyThe cataloged Iskander page covers the road-mobile TEL, support vehicles, and broader ballistic/cruise missile system.
9M723Ballistic missile family memberRUSI separates the 9M723 quasi-ballistic missile group from the Iskander cruise missiles derived from the 3M-14 family.
Timeline

9M728 R-500 cruise missile Key Events

  1. R-500 development reported

    GlobalSecurity cites 1996 as the start of R-500 development by Ekaterinburg OKB Novator.

  2. First launch from 9P78-1 launcher

    GlobalSecurity reports the first R-500 launch from an Iskander 9P78-1 self-propelled launcher at Kapustin Yar.

  3. Service entry reported

    The Wisconsin Project lists Iskander-K 9M728/R-500 as having entered service in 2009.

  4. Ukraine use documented

    RUSI and the Wisconsin Project both identify Iskander-K 9M728/R-500 among Russian missile types used in Ukraine.

Media

9M728 R-500 cruise missile Videos

9M728 R-500 cruise missile Images

9M728 R-500 cruise missile, Ground-launched land-attack cruise missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: Commons Iskander-K Zaporizhzhia removal
Related Weapon Systems
Kh-59, Air-launched cruise missile family, MunitionsMunitionsKh-59Air-launched cruise missile familyThe Kh-59 Ovod is a Soviet/Russian air-launched cruise missile family developed by Raduga for tactical standoff strike from combat aircraft. The family spans the original TV-guided Kh-59, turbojet-powered Kh-59M/ME, active-radar Kh-59MK anti-ship missile, satellite-guided Kh-59MK2 land-attack missile, and Kh-59MKM penetrator variant. Russia has used Kh-59-series missiles during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present, and open sources separately describe caveated Kh-59MK2 combat-test reporting from Syria.
Kh-69, Air-launched land-attack cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsKh-69Air-launched land-attack cruise missileThe Kh-69 is a Russian subsonic air-launched land-attack cruise missile developed by Raduga within Tactical Missiles Corporation for precision strikes against fixed targets. Its compact square-section body and folding surfaces are tied to tactical-aircraft carriage, including Su-34, Su-35, and Su-57 launch contexts, while its guidance stack combines inertial, satellite, terrain-height, and electro-optical terminal inputs. The missile has been documented in Russian strikes during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present, including the April 2024 destruction of the Trypilska thermal power plant.
SCALP-EG, Air-launched cruise missile, MunitionsMunitionsSCALP-EGAir-launched cruise missileSCALP-EG is the French-service member of the Storm Shadow/SCALP air-launched cruise-missile family, an MBDA deep-strike weapon built for pre-planned attacks on high-value fixed targets such as hardened facilities and key infrastructure. French aircraft used SCALP-EG in Libya, Iraq and the 2018 Syria strikes, Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft later carried it as a Western long-range precision-strike option, and Indian Rafales were reported to have used SCALP during Operation Sindoor in the India-Pakistan Conflict 2025.

Sources

RUSI Iskander-M and Iskander-K technical profilePublisher: Royal United Services Institute | Note: Supports 9M728 technical context, Iskander-K launcher integration, low-altitude cruise-missile profile, related designation caveats, and Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present direct use by Russian forces. | Accessed: 2026-06-29CSIS 9K720 Iskander SS-26Publisher: CSIS Missile Threat | Note: Supports the Iskander system relationship, shared TEL context, 9M728/R-500/SSC-7 designation, and specifications for the broader Iskander missile family. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Wisconsin Project Russia missile use in UkrainePublisher: Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present direct use, Iskander-K 9M728/R-500 designation, Novator Plant manufacturer context, and reported service-entry context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29GlobalSecurity R-500 Iskander-K 9M728Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports R-500/9M728 development chronology, OKB Novator design context, launch testing, range, warhead mass, and propulsion details. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Commons Iskander-K TEL Army-2022Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary image of an Iskander-K TEL with 9M728 missile containers. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Commons Iskander-K Zaporizhzhia removalPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a State Emergency Service of Ukraine image of a non-exploded Iskander-K missile in Zaporizhzhia during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present. | Accessed: 2026-06-29