Russia enhances Iskander missiles with advanced satellite navigation systems

In Ukraine, recent missile strikes have revealed significant upgrades to Russia's R-500 Iskander-K cruise missiles, which now feature advanced satellite navigation protection systems. This upgrade was documented during missile strikes targeting Kyiv, showcasing a notable shift in the Russian military's reliance on satellite guidance for missile targeting. Previously, the R-500 depended more on Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and inertial navigation methods. The upgraded systems, known as Kometa-M, now utilize a sophisticated 16-element Controlled Radiation Pattern Antenna (CRPA), a significant improvement from earlier versions that used a simpler 4-element system introduced in 2022. The enhancement aims to augment the missiles' resilience against electronic warfare, wherein the high-element CRPA antennas selectively filter out jamming signals, effectively requiring multiple jamming sources to be neutralized in order to disrupt guidance. This strategic change indicates a potential shift by Russian forces to bolster satellite-based systems across a broader array of their long-range weaponry. Despite the transformation being expensive, with high-element antennas costing tens of thousands of dollars each, Russian forces appear to be widely implementing these upgrades. Reports indicate that the advanced CRPA has already been installed on various munitions, including UMPK glide bombs and Shahed-type drones, as of April 2025. Furthermore, Russia is also equipping some Shahed drones with multi-element CRPA antennas made in China, suggesting a collaborative effort to enhance their precision targeting capabilities, starting with the first 16-element variants observed in March. The situation escalated as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed recent successes in targeting Russian military assets, which included destroying three Iskander missile launchers that had been deployed against civilian targets. This coordinated counteroffensive supports ongoing efforts by Ukraine to mitigate the impact and effectiveness of Russian missile capabilities, reflecting the complexities of the ongoing conflict. As both sides adapt and evolve their military strategies, the balance of power remains in a state of flux, influenced by technological advancements and operational decisions.