Algeria parades Iskander missile launchers
Algeria displayed Russian-made Iskander-E launchers for the first time in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the start of its war of independence.
Two transporter-erector-launchers (TELs) for the system were included in the parade and were identified by the commentator for the television coverage of the event as tactical artillery missile systems.
The Russian Iskander-M version can launch two 9M723 ballistic missiles or 9M728/729 cruise missiles, but the Iskander-E export version is only advertised with a ballistic missile with a reduced range of 280 km.
Russian officials announced in 2017 that the Iskander-E had been exported to a country in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Russian newspaper, Kommersant, reported in 2018 that enough Iskander-Es to equip a brigade were exported to Algeria in 2017, making the North African country the second export customer after Armenia.
The parade also featured seven Nimr Hafeet 6×6 armoured vehicles, a type produced under licence in Algeria, fitted with the Chinese 120 mm CS/SM5 self-loading mortars. This combination was previously seen in the background of a photograph released by the Algerian Ministry of National Defence in October 2022 but did not feature in the last parade marking the 60th anniversary of independence on 5 July 2022.
