Shell (air defense systems)

Main article: Russian air defense

Shell-ME

Main article: [[Shell-ME (Anti-aircraft missile and artillery complex)

Pantsir-S

Main article: Pantsir-S ZRPK

Shell-SMD-E

On August 12, 2024, a new Pantsir-SMD-E air defense system was presented in Russia, designed specifically to protect against massive attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles. The complex is designed to protect important industrial and administrative facilities from air threats. The developer is the Instrument Design Bureau, which is part of the High-Precision Complexes holding of the Rostec state corporation.

According to Rostec, Pantsir-SMD-E is equipped with an advanced fire control system, including a surveillance radar, a multifunctional radar system and an electron-optical system, which allows you to effectively detect and hit air targets at medium and short range. The new complex is able not only to automatically hit targets, but also to evaluate the effectiveness of real-time shooting, which significantly increases its combat capabilities.

source = Rostec

The Pantsir-SMD-E ammunition can include up to 48 short-range anti-aircraft guided missiles or 12 standard anti-aircraft guided missiles, which allows you to adapt the complex to various combat missions. This flexibility in the use of ammunition makes the complex especially effective in combating massive drone attacks, including small and highly maneuverable targets.

According to Bekhan Ozdoev, a member of the bureau of the Union of Machine Builders of Russia and industrial director of the arms cluster of Rostec State Corporation, Pantsir-SMD-E is a continuation of the development of the Pantsir family of complexes, and its main task is to protect stationary objects from air attack. Ozdoev noted that the new complex is equipped with effective and inexpensive ammunition that provides reliable protection against drones, avoiding excessive costs of destroying small targets.^[1]

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