Specialists of the High-Precision Complexes holding (part of the Rostec State Corporation) have modified the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile-gun system (ZRPK) to more effectively repel attacks by drones and long-range missiles, the company's official Telegram channel reported.
"Improvements have been introduced to the Pantsir that have made it possible to increase the efficiency of work on UAVs, 'complex' projectiles and long-range missiles," the release says. "The results of the combat use of the complex showed the correctness of the previously adopted design decisions."
The report also notes that the Tula Shipunov Instrument Design Bureau (KBP, part of High-Precision Complexes) completed the 2023 state defense order for the supply of the Pantsir-S air defense missile system ahead of schedule.
"Today, the Tula enterprise continues to produce Pantsirs beyond schedule," the company emphasized.
Earlier, the developers have already reported on the improvement of the characteristics of the air defense missile system. So, in August, representatives of High-Precision Complexes spoke about the increased effectiveness of countering Pantsirs against complex targets, including Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which London supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
And in July, Bekkhan Ozdoev, industrial director of Rostec's cluster of conventional weapons, ammunition and special chemicals, said that the effectiveness of the modified Pantsir air defense missile system against HIMARS multiple launch rocket system shells in some cases reaches 100%.
"As a result of combat use, any weapon is modernized and improved. It's an ongoing process. For example, after the appearance of the HIMARS MLRS in the enemy's possession, the specialists of the "High-Precision Complexes" modified the Pantsir air defense missile system to intercept the shells of these systems. Today, we see examples of successful counteraction to HIMARS strikes with the help of our air defense missile system. There are precedents when out of 12 launched shells of the American MLRS, all 12 are shot down," he said in an interview with TASS.
According to Yuri Knutov, a military expert, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces in Balashikha, the complexes of the Pantsir family are constantly being improved, taking into account the experience of combat use.
"Now improvements have been made that allow us to work on UAVs and missiles of multiple launch rocket systems, including HIMARS. Radar and optoelectronic stations have also been improved. As a result, the combat capabilities of the Pantsir have increased significantly," the analyst said in a conversation with RT.
"Flagship of the domestic air defense system"
Recall that the Pantsir-S1 complex has been in service with the Russian Armed Forces since 2012. The Ministry of Defense called this air defense missile system "the flagship of the domestic short-range air defense system", designed to protect civilian and military facilities, as well as cover the S-300 and S-400 long-range anti-aircraft missile systems.
"The missile and cannon armament system implemented in it makes it possible to fire at air targets throughout the depth of the kill zone, starting with long-range high-altitude targets and ending with suddenly appearing small-sized objects flying at extremely low altitudes," the ministry said.
The Pantsirs are armed with 12 anti-aircraft guided missiles and two 2A38 double-barreled cannons of 30 mm caliber, which can fire with a total rate of fire of up to 5 thousand rounds per minute. The modern version of the Pantsir is capable of detecting targets at a distance of up to 80 km and hitting them at a distance of up to 30 km.
The complex is available in both wheeled and tracked versions. An example of a tracked version is the Arctic Pantsir-SA, based on the DT-30 Vityaz all-terrain vehicle. As noted on the Rostec website, the Pantsir can operate in any climatic conditions.
"The complex has already been tested in Syria, which is +50 ° C, and in the Arctic - at -50 ° C," the company said.
In Rostec, the Pantsir air defense missile system is called the world leader among air defense systems of this class. In turn, Alexander Zhukov, chief designer for sea-based anti-aircraft systems of KBP, noted that the peculiarity of the Pantsirs in comparison with foreign models is that a single turret mounts a missile and artillery weapons control system.
As Zhukov explained in an interview with RT on the sidelines of the International Maritime Defense Show (IMDS-2023) in Kronstadt, foreign manufacturers produce missile and artillery mounts separately.
"And no one has such a rocket and artillery installation, because our company is the developer of missiles, cannon weapons, missile launchers, artillery mounts, and control systems," the designer said.
Not only land units, but also ships of various classes of the Russian Navy are armed with Pantsirs. The complex can be installed on vessels with a displacement of 500 tons or more (according to other sources, from 300 tons). In the naval version, the air defense missile system is called "Pantsir-ME".
- Pantsir-ME surface-to-air missile-gun system
- RIA Novosti
- © Vitaly Belousov
The combat module of this version of the air defense missile system is equipped with two 30-mm six-barreled anti-aircraft machine guns and eight anti-aircraft guided missiles located on the launchers of the module. In addition to these missiles, there are 24 more missiles ready for launch in the storage and reloading system located directly under the combat module, according to Rostec.
The Pantsir-ME can hit targets with anti-aircraft assault rifles at a range of up to 4 km and an altitude of up to 3 km, and missiles at a range of up to 20 km and an altitude of up to 15 km. The combat operation of the air defense missile system is provided by a crew of two people (the commander and the operator of the combat module) - the complex has a high level of automation.
"It is becoming the most massive complex"
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation regularly reports on the repulsion of enemy attacks by Pantsir complexes both in the NWO zone and beyond. According to military expert Yuri Lyamin, the main targets during the special operation for these air defense missile systems are UAVs, MLRS shells and cruise missiles.
"In addition to drones, the enemy uses large-caliber rockets, as well as cruise missiles, including such modern Western models as the Storm Shadow," the specialist said in an interview with RT.
- Self-propelled ground-based air defense missile system "Pantsir-S" at the Khmeimim airbase in Syria
- RIA Novosti
- © Dmitriy Vinogradov
It is worth noting that the Pantsir air defense missile system shows its effectiveness not only during the NWO, but also in Syria. For example, on December 3, Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in the Arab Republic, said that the Pantsir and Buk-M2E systems in service with the Syrian armed forces shot down most of the bombs that Israeli Air Force F-16 fighters fired at targets near Damascus.
The greater effectiveness of the Pantsir is achieved, among other things, by automating the operation of its systems, Yuri Knutov believes.
"The effectiveness of the Pantsir is quite significant. A high level of automation has been implemented in this air defense missile system. Thanks to computers with elements of artificial intelligence, the complex can automatically determine the ownership of the target, identify the most dangerous of them, as well as independently choose the method of destroying the object," the expert said.
The analyst added that today the Pantsir is becoming the most massive Russian air defense system in its class.
"Now a more advanced modification of this air defense missile system is being developed. In addition, a naval version of the Pantsir has been adopted. Therefore, today the Pantsir is becoming the most massive short-range complex, which is used against enemy aircraft for various purposes," Knutov summed up.