The 9K720 Iskander is a Russian road-mobile tactical missile system that launches 9M723 short-range ballistic missiles and, in Iskander-K configuration, ground-launched cruise missiles. Its documented combat record spans Russian strikes in Ukraine, Syria, and Georgia, plus disputed Armenian use around Shusha in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting.
Russian forces have used Iskander-M ballistic missiles and Iskander-K cruise missiles for long-range strikes against Ukraine, with Ukrainian strike summaries and specialist analysis documenting continued launches during the war.
Role detailsRussian officials confirmed that the Iskander-M was used in combat operations in Syria, placing the system with the Syrian government side's Russian military support.
Role detailsEvidence published after the 2020 war, including ANAMA-reported impact locations and missile-fragment markings, indicates Armenian use of Iskander missiles around Shusha; the claim remained politically disputed.
Investigations into the 12 August 2008 strike on Gori attributed the attack to a Russian Iskander/SS-26 missile carrying cluster submunitions during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.
The 9P78-1 designation belongs to the Iskander launch vehicle rather than a separate missile. It is the road-mobile TEL that carries, raises, programs, and fires the missiles linked elsewhere on this page.
RUSI identifies the 9P78-1 as an 8x8 MZKT-7930-based launcher carrying two missiles, with brigade structure built around twelve TELs in three battalions.
RUSI describes a launch-readiness window of 16 minutes from travel or five minutes when stationary, and says both missiles on one TEL can be fired within one minute of each other.
CSIS describes reload vehicles with two missiles and a crane plus command vehicles that pass target coordinates to launch crews, while Rosoboronexport lists the export system's high road mobility and 1,000 km cruising range.
Sources: The Iskander-M and Iskander-K: A Technical Profile; 9K720 Iskander (SS-26); Rosoboronexport Iskander-E.
Open sources use Iskander for the launcher system and several missile configurations; the 9P78-1 designation identifies the road-mobile TEL at the center of those configurations.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9P78-1 TEL | Transporter-erector-launcher | RUSI describes the 9P78-1 as the Iskander TEL vehicle on an 8x8 MZKT-7930 chassis, carrying two missiles and forming the launcher element of Russian Iskander-M brigades. |
| Iskander-M | Russian-service ballistic-missile configuration | CSIS describes Iskander-M as the Russian military configuration associated with 9M723-series ballistic missiles and the common Iskander TEL and support vehicles. Sources: 9K720 Iskander (SS-26) |
| Iskander-K | Cruise-missile launcher configuration | CSIS and RUSI identify Iskander-K as the cruise-missile branch using the Iskander launcher architecture for 9M728/R-500 and related cruise missiles. Sources: 9K720 Iskander (SS-26), The Iskander-M and Iskander-K: A Technical Profile |
| Iskander-E / 9K720-E | Export configuration | Rosoboronexport lists the 9K720-E Iskander-E export system with a 280 km maximum range, three-person crew, 70 km/h maximum road speed, and 1,000 km cruising range. Sources: Rosoboronexport Iskander-E |
The 9K720 designation covers the launcher and support-vehicle system, while individual ballistic and cruise missiles carry their own munition-level evidence.
| Launched item | Item type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Short-range ballistic missile | The Iskander-M system fires 9M723-series ballistic missiles from a road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher carrying two missiles. Sources: 9K720 Iskander (SS-26), The Iskander-M and Iskander-K: A Technical Profile |
 | Ground-launched cruise missile | CSIS and RUSI describe 9M728/R-500 as an Iskander-K cruise missile fired from the Iskander launcher architecture. Sources: 9K720 Iskander (SS-26), The Iskander-M and Iskander-K: A Technical Profile |
 | Ground-launched cruise missile | CSIS connects 9M729 to the Iskander-K family and lists it among the missiles fired by the shared Iskander TEL and support vehicles. Sources: 9K720 Iskander (SS-26), 9M729 (SSC-8) |
Open sources separate the 9K720 Iskander family into a launch system, ballistic missiles, and cruise-missile configurations. The distinctions below separate launcher-family context from individual-missile evidence.
| Element | Role | Source-backed distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 9K720 Iskander / 9P78-1 | Launcher system | Road-mobile TEL and support-vehicle family associated with Iskander-M ballistic and Iskander-K cruise-missile configurations; RUSI identifies the 9P78-1 as the TEL vehicle carrying two missiles. |
| Ballistic missile | Short-range ballistic missile fired by Iskander-M and documented through separate munition-level conflict evidence. |
| Cruise missile | Ground-launched Iskander-K cruise missile identified by RUSI and CSIS as part of the launcher family's cruise-missile branch. |
| Cruise missile | Longer-range Novator cruise missile tied to the Iskander-K family in CSIS reporting and later arms-control dispute documentation. |
Dutch and human-rights investigations attributed the Gori strike during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War to a Russian Iskander/SS-26 missile carrying cluster submunitions.
Sources: ECHR: Georgia, Russia Violated Rights of Dutch Journalist Killed in 2008 War, Up in Flames
CSIS reported Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov's statement that Iskander-M had been used and had proven effective in Syria.
Sources: Russian MoD Confirms Use of Iskander-M SRBM in Syria
Bellingcat documented 9M723-series Iskander cluster-munition remnants during the opening phase of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: These Are The Cluster Munitions Documented By Ukrainian Civilians
