It takes only one text message to launch Iskander-M missile

The command to launch a missile of the Iskander missile complex comes to the combat crew in the form of a text message that says "Proceed to readiness 1." Such messages are commonly known as military SMS messages, The Rossiyskaya Gazeta wrote.

According to the newspaper, "the message has an invisible part that contains the coordinates of the target, a set of numbers and symbols that a computer can understand."

"Having received the order to open fire, the crew battens down in the operator cab, enters the received code into the on-board computer. Then the commander presses the "Mode" button and the machine operates automatically afterwards: spins the gyroscopes of the missile, lowers the supports, opens up the roof, raises the missile, and so on," the newspaper wrote.

Preparation for launch takes eight minutes, and it is possible to abort the command within seven minutes, the publication said.

At the same time, one can launch a missile not only from inside the operator's cab, but also from the outside.

"For this purpose, there is a remote control panel on the side of the vehicle under the armored flap. It also has a display and two buttons that need to be pressed at a time," the newspaper said.

In January, sources from the Russian Defense Ministry said that reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as, in particular, Forpost, would be used to home Iskander-M operational-tactical complexes to targets.