Missle in the Bedroom (Georgia/Ossetia)

[plasmahawk]

Hi Folks,

Looking to the more experienced people here, perhaps this has already been asked but I was reading good ol Wikipedia, and came across this picture as the reference to the last years 2008 South Ossetian / Georgia / Russian conflict.

here is the link to the picture

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/080825-N-0629H-021.jpg

it is described as a booster stage of a russian rocket, on wikipedia, to meet it looks about the size of the terminal part of a Tochka or even Iskander unit, if not the terminal than perhaps the top 20 percent, based on the diameter etc. Color looks like a Surface to Surface type missle along with the thickness of it, the two stabilizers look familiar too, but perhaps its a surface to air missle?

Any thoughts or story on this picture?
Cheers!
Plas

 

[Feanor]

I've ran into many photos of Tochka munitions in Georgia, so this is not suprising at all. Gori was hit extensively by Tochkas, and most likely Iskanders. I'm not sure if the missile really did hit inside an apartment, or if "somebody" just dragged a piece of it up there for the photo shoot, but otherwise there is nothing strange about it. I don't think it's an air-to air missile.

 

[plasmahawk]

I've ran into many photos of Tochka munitions in Georgia, so this is not suprising at all. Gori was hit extensively by Tochkas, and most likely Iskanders. I'm not sure if the missile really did hit inside an apartment, or if "somebody" just dragged a piece of it up there for the photo shoot, but otherwise there is nothing strange about it. I don't think it's an air-to air missile.

Feanor thats what I was thinking too.. But I don't think its a Tochka, the control surfaces are all wrong, take a look at this picture :

http://softland.com.pl/aerojac/dane/foto/toczka/3.jpg
and
http://www.enemyforces.net/missiles/otr_21.jpg

note how on the Tochka they are almost an even sided trapezoid - on the 9M79 rocket.

Now this one, I started looking around is a chunk of an Iskander SS-26 : take a look and hopefully you can backup my brains here;

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/images/ss23-ss26.gif
and http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/theater/ss-26.jpg

The Iskander's flight controls have a more taper at the tips, almost a triangular narrowing. So this one looks like an Iskander SS-26. So what I am now wondering is where were the Iskanders stationed that they were deployed quickly enough. Also at which point does this stage of the missile separates from the warhead part? Is it at the initial boost or at the final dive to the target ( the iskander does dive and usually will detonate above the specified target to ensure damage coverage ) this I am looking to you and the forum to help me figure out to allow them to be brought into the conflict and readily used.

My 2 Kopeeks
Plas

 

[Feanor]

I think that the Iskander warhead separates at the final dive stage. The Iskanders warhead is advertised as being a manouevrable munition at the terminal flight stage, to dodge enemy SAM/SPAAG units, with radio-command guidance as well as intnertial and GPS, which would probably mean that in order to effectively alter course in mid flight based on command data it would still need it's boosters. The unit that operated them was a training artillery btln, as the brigade part of which it was supposed to be was still in the process of formation. I can't remember off the top of my head what the btlns number was (though for some reason 402nd is floating around in my head). Either way, they were part of the first Iskander brigade which began forming in late 2007 in the NCMD.