Russian Air Defense

Main article: Russian Armed Forces

Pantsir air defense systems

Main article: Shell (air defense systems)

2024

How much Russian air defenses are superior to American ones. Zyfras

Russian air defense systems (air defense) are significantly superior to Western counterparts, including American ones, in a number of key characteristics. According to experts from the Analytical Center for Aerospace Defense (AC VKO) dated August 5, 2024, Russian air defense systems and air defense systems demonstrate higher tactical and technical parameters, which allows them to provide effective cover for troops.

According to the National Defense magazine, Triumph and Viking S-400 systems stand out among the best examples of Russian air defense. The Triumph S-400 system is capable of intercepting air targets at a range of up to 380 km and an altitude of up to 30 km, while the American Patriot operates at a range of up to 160 km and an altitude of up to 25 km. At the same time, the S-400 has the ability to hit targets moving at speeds up to 4.8 km/s, which significantly exceeds the similar Patriot indicator of 3 km/s. These data confirm the superiority of Russian systems in range, interception height and target speed.

source = Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The Russian medium-range Viking air defense system also outperforms Western counterparts such as the IRIS-T SLM, NASAMS III and SAMP/T. Viking can intercept targets at ranges up to 65 km and altitudes up to 25 km, while IRIS-T SLM is limited to 40 km and 20 km, respectively. NASAMS III reaches 50 km in range and 20 km in altitude, while SAMP/T reaches 60-80 km in range and 20 km in altitude. An additional advantage of Viking is its ability to neutralize ballistic targets.

In the segment of short-range systems, special attention is drawn to the Tor-M2 air defense system, which is designed to combat drones and has no direct analogues among Western systems. Thanks to its maneuverable characteristics, such as a tracked off-road chassis and a minimum deployment time from marching order to combat (only 3 minutes), the Tor-M2 is able to conduct reconnaissance and fire on the go. Easy reservation of the combat vehicle additionally increases the stability of the complex in combat conditions.^[1]

Russia introduced an air defense system that produces drones instead of shells

Russia has developed and successfully tested an innovative air defense (air defense) system that uses FPV drones instead of traditional shells. This became known on July 6, 2024. Read more here.

Russian anti-aircraft missile system S-500 received a new computer system to destroy hypersonic missiles

At the end of February 2024, it became known that the Russian anti-aircraft missile system S-500 Promete received a new computing system to destroy hypersonic targets. Thus, Promete can actually shoot down any missiles - from short-range systems to intercontinental ballistic systems. Read more here.

2023

Parliament of Kyrgyzstan approved the creation of a joint air defense system with Russia

On October 11, 2023, the Kyrgyz parliament approved the creation of a joint air defense system (air defense) with Russia. The press service of the parliament said that for the implementation of the project, a plot of 5 hectares will be allocated next to the Russian air base in the city of Kant. The agreement was concluded for a period of five years.

Air defense units are under the jurisdiction of the Kyrgyz side. At the same time, financial, material and technical support and other measures and details will be at the disposal of the Russian representative in his daily work, - said Deputy Minister of Defense of the country Almazbek Karasartov.

Parliament of Kyrgyzstan

It is noted that the agreement on the creation of a joint air defense system was ratified by the Kyrgyz parliament a day before the official visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the country. He will visit Bishkek from October 12 to 13, 2023 and will take part in a meeting of the Council of CIS Heads of State.

According to the approved document, Russia and Kyrgyzstan are creating a joint regional air defense system of the two countries, which will become an integral part of the joint air defense system of the CIS member states. The agreement aims to improve air defense in the region.

Under Article 6 of the Agreement, the coordination of the joint actions of the troops (forces) of the joint regional air defense system, which are part of other regional air defense systems of the CIS, is carried out by the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, the control of the joint actions of the troops (forces) of the air defense system of Russia and Kyrgyzstan in the area of ​ ​ collective security is carried out by the commander of the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan.

The parties ensure the protection of the information they received during the implementation of the agreement, which make up the state secret of the states.^[2]

Russian troops received the first automated air defense control systems "Master-SV"

Russian troops received the first automated air defense control systems "Master-SV," developed by specialists of the Scientific and Production Enterprise "Rubin." This became known on August 21, 2023. Read more here.

Moscow allocated a grant to NPO Almaz to improve air defense systems to protect against drones after another drone attack

Moscow has allocated a grant to the research and production association (NPO) Almaz named after Academician A.A. Raspletin to improve air defense systems, including for protection against drones. The capital's mayor's office announced this on July 4, 2023 - the day of the next drone attack on Moscow. Read more here.

Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade: Only Russian air defense systems are capable of shooting down hypersonic missiles

In June 2023, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade - Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov announced the ability to destroy hypersonic missiles only in Russian air defense systems.

Combat aviation - aircraft and helicopters - is the area where today we surpass competitors in quality and quantity. As in general, in most areas of defense industry production: it is enough to mention the fact that only our systems are able to successfully withstand our own unique hypersonic weapons, "the Deputy Prime Minister said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Triumph S-400 anti-aircraft missile system

He said that the S-350 air defense complex in the zone of the military operation worked on the target in automatic mode - "using artificial intelligence without the participation of the human factor." He did not give a specific date or any details.

The Russian Federation today is the only country in the world with hypersonic missiles such as the Dagger aviation missile and the Zircon ship missile. The hypersonic "Dagger" within the framework of the SVO has been repeatedly used on Ukrainian military facilities, including with the help of this missile the American Patriot air defense system in Kyiv was destroyed.

By June 2023, the Russian Armed Forces (Armed Forces) are armed with long-range air defense/missile defense systems of S-400 and S-500, Vityaz S-350 systems, Tor-M2, Buk-M3 and Pantsir-S complexes.

On June 10, 2023, the head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, said that air defense forces in Crimea shot down two ballistic missiles launched by the Ukrainian Grom-2 OTRK. The day before, it became known that the air defense system of the Eastern Military District (VVO) of the Russian Armed Forces for the first time shot down a flying long-range cruise missile Storm Shadow of British production in the WVO zone. Anti-aircraft gunners managed to identify the air saboteur at dawn. For air defense, air defense is one of the first destroyed targets of this type.^[3]

Russia and Kyrgyzstan approved the creation of a common air defense system

In April 2023, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree "On submission to the President of the Russian Federation for ratification of the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic on the creation of a Joint Regional Air Defense System of the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic."

According to the document published on the portal of legal information, the Cabinet of Ministers decides to approve and submit to the head of state the agreement signed in Moscow on August 16, 2022.

Complex S-400

The fact that Russia and Kyrgyzstan will create a joint regional air defense system (ORS) became known in July 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin then instructed the Ministry of Defense with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate and sign an agreement with Bishkek.

The goal of the project was called the improvement of air defense in the region. It was noted that during the agreement, Kyrgyzstan will allocate a land plot of five hectares to accommodate the forces sent by Russia to the air defense ORS.

The list of troops (forces) allocated to the ORS of the air defense of Russia and Kyrgyzstan is approved jointly by the authorized bodies of the parties.

To deploy troops (forces) allocated by Russia to the air defense ORS in the collective security area, Kyrgyzstan transfers Russia for the period of this Agreement, free of charge, a land plot of 5 hectares, the document says.

The joint air defense system of the CIS member states was created in February 1995. All countries of the commonwealth joined the system, with the exception of Azerbaijan and Moldova. By 2022, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia , Tajikistan and Uzbekistan remained active participants.

Government of the Russian Federation Resolution of April 8, 2023 No. 570

The first interception of a guided rocket of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the Russian air defense system

For the first time during the air defense, Russian air defense systems intercepted the GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) guided rocket of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported on March 28, 2023 by the TASS agency with reference to the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov. Read more here.

Putin: Russia produces as many air defense missiles as the rest of the world

On January 18, 2023 Russia Vladimir Putin , the president called the production of air defense missiles in the Russian Federation and the rest of the world comparable. states The head made the corresponding statement at a meeting with the workers of "," Obukhov plant part of the concern "."Almaz-Antey

We, for example, air defense missiles that you produce, release more than three times a year than in the United States. In general, our defense industry produces about the same amount of air defense missiles for various purposes per year as all military-industrial enterprises of the world produce. Our production is comparable to global production, "Putin said.

According to him, high production of missiles is one of the factors that inspire confidence in Russia's victory in Ukraine.

Earlier, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia is increasing the production of powerful means of defeat to counter Western countries supporting Kyiv. According to him, Russia has a sufficient number of precision weapons. Medvedev noted that the "enemies" carefully calculate the launches of Russian missiles and armaments and "hope in vain to deplete our capabilities."

On November 19, 2023, The New York Times wrote that in opposition to the statements of politicians from the United States, Great Britain and Ukraine that Russia is depleting its stocks of missile weapons, the Russian army continues to launch massive missile attacks on Ukrainian military infrastructure.

In May 2022, the head of Roscosmos, Iouri Borisov, who was then deputy prime minister, said that the Russian military-industrial complex fully covers the needs of the Ministry of Defense in high-precision missiles.

The defense-industrial complex supplies our army with all the necessary nomenclature of missiles in the required volumes, he said.[4]

2022

Countering attacks by Ukrainian drones and balloons

At the end of December 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine intensified strike attempts using small-sized commercial UAVs and balloons. Since December 31, Russian air defense units have shot down air targets almost every night.

The main task of the tactics of the "unmanned swarm" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to bear (determine the location) of air defense systems on duty, search for poorly covered areas and determine the most acceptable area for drone penetration.

As a rule, each strike and raid is preceded by the identification of positional areas of Russian air defense using NATO objective control tools, as well as informants on the ground.

One to two weeks before the start of massive launches of UAVs, the activity of satellite and intelligence intelligence increases, which will identify the alleged positions of air defense systems. After that, there is a stage of systematic testing of the air defense system, when for a long period the UAV groups assess the combat readiness of air defense units using different tactics. And sending several UAVs simultaneously to one area allows you to overload or confuse stationary radars from anti-aircraft missile systems. At the same time, special attention is paid to the definition of topographic data of the area. During the raid, operators determine the nature of the relief and its changes along the entire route of traffic, as was the case when attacking Kursk from high-rise homes from the north.

In the southern regions, such as Crimea, NATO reconnaissance aircraft - RQ-4B/D and RC-135, as well as AWACS Ye-3 Sentry aircraft - operate periodically to detect and determine the nature of the use of anti-aircraft systems of the Russian Armed Forces over the Black Sea.

With their help, positional areas of air defense are recorded, and Russia the nature of the use of Russian air defense systems, the actions of calculations after working on air targets, the time of withdrawal from the firing position, the choice of a further place are analyzed.

Thanks to the integrated and combined use of intelligence means, an approximate picture is created with the nature of the actions of Russian military personnel in the event of raids and the weakest areas for a breakthrough are determined.

Daily attacks by groups of several UAVs in various sectors of the front from the Crimea to the Kursk region would be virtually impossible using expensive unmanned vehicles, the Rybar channel noted.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine adapted relatively cheap commercial drones, mainly of Chinese production, such as Mugin-5, to the conditions of intensive hostilities, making kamikaze drones from them.

For long-range strikes, Ukrainian engineers, with the support of Western specialists, modernized outdated equipment by replacing internal parts with modern ones.

Soviet Tu-141 Strizh UAVs were equipped with a relief envelope system with a height of up to 15 meters. The drones were able to bypass the positional areas of air defense, uplands and urban buildings on the way to the Engels-2 airfield, moving along a previously identified route.

At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as part of the "probing" of the Russian air defense and its reloading, use other alternative means. Among them are airships and balloons, retrofitted for more effective combat use.

For example, in the Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions, the Ukrainian command is actively using UAVs of long-term duty - the so-called "mono-wing airships." The concept of UAVs of this type was actively used by the Swiss company Prospective Concepts AG in the development of the Stingray monocycle airship, which has great autonomy. It is a helium-inflated monocycle under which the engine is installed.

Ukrainian forces have adapted the "artisanal" version of the airship for reconnaissance and identification of air defense positions of the Russian Armed Forces. The installed equipment allows you to operate at an altitude of 2500 to 8000 meters at speeds up to 120 km/h.

It is this version of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that is used from the territory of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions to explore for Russian positions in the border regions. And on January 2 and 3, 2023, 6-8 units of such monocycles conducted reconnaissance of airfields in Buturlinovka and Borisoglebsk in the Voronezh region, flying through Greivoron in the Belgorod region.

What are their advantages?

• First, airships have significant autonomy and are capable of moving at high altitude, becoming inaccessible to MANPADS and small arms. At the same time, electronic warfare means are actually useless against them.

• Secondly, the price. The cost of retrofitting such drones for conducting is extremely low, and actions within the group allow you to cover a large area without fear of losing the device.

• Thirdly, they do not carry a combat charge, but are able to simulate an attack by diving from a high altitude and forcing air defense operators to hit a cheap target with an expensive anti-aircraft missile.

The possibility of simultaneously launching a group of such UAVs forces to waste a limited ammunition load of air defense systems and overloads the air defense system, and there are practically no remnants to study them after hitting them.

Cheap and easily accessible drones, "artisanally" retrofitted with new parts and parts, pose a serious threat in the future, the Rybar channel noted.

Monocoules in their essence do not pose a danger to Russian objects and air defense systems due to the lack of a combat unit with striking elements on board. However, the ability to simulate an attack by diving on ground targets and using UAVs as false targets confuse SAM operators. And the possibility of mass launch of such UAVs, their resistance to interference with electronic warfare and autonomy, coupled with the likely simultaneous use of Swifts, increases the likelihood of mass attacks by commercial drones.

One of the options for countering is the use of mobile air defense units. They have already proven themselves in repelling the raid in Crimea: on January 5, the calculations shot down two drones with small fire, which were fired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Shirokoye airfield in Zaporozhye towards the oil depot in Nizhnegorsky.

On the successes, problems and upcoming challenges of Russian air defense in the conflict in Ukraine

Channel @ anna_news in December 2022 raised the issue of the effectiveness of Russian air defense during 10 months of hostilities in the conflict in Ukraine. The authors praised her work in covering ground forces from the air and repelling Ukrainian raids.

Indeed, during the SVO of the Russian air defense, several tasks were solved:

• Provide cover from the Tochka-U strikes, which at the time of the outbreak of the war were the most long-range model of weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian air defense systems shot down the vast majority of OTRK missiles fired.

• Significantly reduce the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Air Force. At the end of 2022, they still exist, but are forced to either press themselves to the ground or launch HARM missiles from a range of tens of kilometers from the front line with extremely low efficiency.

• "Remove from the game" attack drones such as Bayraktar TB2, on which the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had high hopes. Most of the devices were shot down in the first months, and the few remaining worked only as scouts from a great distance from the front line.

• Partially adapt to the new realities and means of defeat of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The calculations of the "Shells" have learned to recognize and shoot down HIMARS missiles, in the Crimea, the Russian air defense reflects the raids of Ukrainian drones, and the Thor air defense modules are installed on patrol ships.

• Use excess capabilities for fire support of ground forces. Reserves of old missiles are S-300 hit by ground targets, and the Buk-M3 radar is successfully used for counter-battery warfare.

However, with all the successes, the Russian air defense faced new challenges and problems:

• The appearance of a large stock of HIMARS missiles in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the possibility of a massive launch led to a situation where Russian air defense systems simply consumed the entire ammunition and remained unarmed. The problem has already been partially solved by sending the first Pantsir-SM-TBM with twice the number of missiles to the troops.

• Insufficient level of interaction with other genera and types of troops. Along with the inoperative identification system, this has repeatedly led to "friendly fire" to the point that almost all (!) Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft lost since spring, as well as part of the Ka-52 helicopters, are "on account" of the Russian air defense.

• The troops do not have an automated control system (ACS) and an alert similar to the Ukrainian Virage-Tablet. For this reason, each battery and sometimes even calculation acts autonomously from each other, not having operational data on the air situation in other areas.

• The inability to cover the entire rear due to the large length of the front and the huge number of settlements. The number of launchers and combat vehicles is limited, and there are incomparably more dispersed strategic civilian and military facilities.

The latter is perhaps the main challenge to the Russian air defense system in the near future. The latest Ukrainian attacks by modified drones in Engels demonstrated the fundamental ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to hit targets in the deep rear.

The enemy is actively creating similar "Gerani-2" drones on a foreign element base. A one-time massive launch of hundreds of such UAVs will overload the air defense and prevent it from shooting down all targets, the Rybar channel noted. The effect of the arrival of even one drone with one autotransformer will be huge.

The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is already planning such attacks: the other day, American satellites were actively photographing airfields in the south. Another potential target could be Moscow, whose strikes for the Ukrainian population and leadership will be of particular symbolic importance.

In conditions of a huge territory and limited resources, the solution is to combine air defense into a single information network, where each calculation will receive data on air targets in other areas. This will allow you to respond more quickly to threats and more rationally distribute forces.

Software update at Russian air defense systems to destroy HIMARS missiles

On December 2, 2022, it became known about a software update in Russian air defense systems. Thanks to the new software, HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) missiles are reportedly easily destroyed.

At the initial stage, we did not understand what it was, but now we are already working freely on HIMARS... We got a new program, and HIMARS is now like regular goals. We see, observe and destroy freely without problems, - RIA Novosti reports with reference to the commander of one of the units based in the Zaporizhzhya direction.

HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System)

According to him, the unit under his command has already managed to shoot down about ten HIMARS missiles, four of them in the last month.

The HIMARS multiple launch rocket system (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) was developed in the United States by BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin in 1996-2000, produced since 2003. Created on the basis of the US Army FMTV three-axle wheeled chassis, it can carry six rockets or one ATACMS operational-tactical ballistic missile, the target firing range for certain types of ammunition is up to 80 km.

In early December 2022, it became known that Pentagon the Lockheed Martin military-industrial corporation also signed a contract for almost $431 million for the production of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems for the needs of the US Army and partners abroad Washington.

In October 2022, Lockheed Martin announced an increase in production of HIMARS MLRS: As for HIMARS, we have already met with our long-term suppliers with the aim of planning production growth to 96 units per year.[5]

Loss of S-400 launcher in Ukraine operation

The installation was lost in the fall of 2022 on the road during a march near the village of Ilyino in the Zaporizhzhya region. The distance to the contact line is about 60 km, so the PU S-400 could not be destroyed by a HIMARS missile strike or an AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile, the Rybar channel noted. A possible reason for losing the launcher so far from the front line may be the operation of an enemy DRG or a malfunction that led to a fire.

The wreckage of the air defense system, previously mistaken for S-300, thanks to the appearance of new photographs, turned out to be a launcher for 5P85SM2-01 of the Triumph S-400 air defense systems.

2016: Protected Areas (A2AD)

In 2016, Western military analysts indicated that Russia had created A2/AD zones with centers in the following settlements:

• Kaliningrad
• Crimea and Sevastopol
• Murmansk, Polar
• St. Petersburg
• Moscow
• Novorossiysk
• Novosibirsk
• Vladivostok
• Nakhodka
• Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
• New Earth
• Tiksi
• Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, Syria.

1987: Failure to land Matthias Rust's plane on Red Square

Matthias Rust, left, an 18-year-old German amateur pilot, dines in court. Yuri Abramochkin, 1987.

The landing of Matthias Rust took place on the Day of the Border Troops of Russia

Matthias Rust on Red Square, 1987

On May 28, 1987, 18-year-old German Matias Rust invaded the airspace of the Soviet Union and safely landed on Red Square in Moscow

1942: Air Defence Commander handed over to Fighter Air Corps, Divisions and Regiments responsible for air defence

The official day of the creation of air defense aircraft is considered January 22, 1942: then, at the height of World War II, the corps, divisions and regiments of fighter aviation responsible for the country's air defense were transferred to the air defense commander.

1915: Formation of the first batteries for firing at air targets during World War I

The official date of appearance in the Russian armed forces of military air defense is considered to be December 26 (15), 1915: that day the formation of light batteries for firing at air targets began, which became relevant on the fields of the First World War.

Notes