The Russian army has begun using modified RM48U training missiles on a large scale against Ukraine, launched from S-400 systems. They are less powerful and less accurate than Iskanders, but allow Russia to conserve more modern ballistic missiles.
This is reported by Reuters.
According to military analysts at the Office of the Prosecutor General, 48N6 missiles in the RM48U variant accounted for more than half of the 228 ballistic and hypersonic missiles that Russia launched at Ukraine in July and early August.
RM48U comes from the Russian term meaning “target missile”. Initially, such missiles were used for training, but after modification they began to be used for strikes on ground targets. The missile follows a ballistic trajectory at high speed.
At the same time, the RM48U has less power and accuracy than the Russian Iskander ballistic missile.
According to Reuters, this summer the mass use of RM48U was confirmed for the first time. They are launched from Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.
Ukraine’s Defence Ministry Intelligence Directorate said Russia plans to more than double production of these missiles. If last year Russia produced about 200 RM48Us, this year it plans to produce up to 480 units.
Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the British think tank RUSI, noted that the mass use of RM48U could allow Russia to expend fewer precision missiles when striking less important targets.
“Their use allows the Russians to conserve more powerful missiles they have – Iskanders, as well as KN-23s and Zircons – for the winter period, when they will probably want to step up the ballistic missile campaign,” Kaushal said.
- On the night of 18 September, Russia struck Ukraine with 93 attack drones (46 of them jet-powered) and decoy drones, as well as the “Banderol”/“Dan-T” strike systems.