The first Iskander tactical surface-to-surface ballistic missile system has entered service with the Russian Army's Western Military District, regional commander Arkady Bakhin said on Tuesday.

"We are at practically 98 percent permanent readiness. We are carrying out reequipment and delivery of new types of weapons," Bakhin said.

Iskander is designed for tactical strikes on small, high value land targets. The export variant has a range of 280 km but the variant in Russian service has a range of 500 km.

Iskander was produced by a range of scientific-industrial companies including KBM Kolomna, which previously produced the Tochka and Oka missile systems.

Russia has previously threatened to deploy Iskander in the Kaliningrad region if NATO deployed missile defense systems in Poland without Russian approval.