The Russian Ministry of Defense published in its Telegram channel footage of the combat work of the crew of the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and gun complex (ZRPK) in the Zaporozhye region. According to the deputy division commander, the complex hit all the targets that were detected.

“Our crews were on combat duty and discovered... a massive accumulation of air targets. We used all available means - both anti-aircraft guided missiles and anti-aircraft guns - to target air targets. 12 anti-aircraft guided missiles (were used. -

RT

), and 12 targets were hit. Plus, targets were also hit by anti-aircraft guns,” the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense quotes the words of the deputy commander of the air defense missile system division.

According to the Russian military department, in the air defense zone the Pantsir-S is effective against almost all types of targets - cruise and ballistic missiles, airplanes, helicopters, MLRS shells, including HIMARS. In addition, the complex demonstrated high effectiveness in the fight against large and small UAVs.

Popular "Shell"

“Pantsir” was developed and mass-produced by the Tula Instrument Design Bureau (KBP). The company is part of the High-Precision Complexes holding company of the Rostec state corporation.

This complex is designed to defend civilian and military facilities and cover long-range air defense systems. The air defense missile system is equipped with a multi-channel target acquisition and tracking system. It is capable of hitting air targets flying at speeds of up to 1 thousand m/s at a distance of 200 m to 20 km.

  • Combat work of the Pantsir-S crew

The peculiarity of the “Pantsir” is the placement of detection equipment and missile and gun weapons on one wheeled platform. The complex carries 12 anti-aircraft missiles, two automatic 30-mm cannons with 1.4 thousand rounds of ammunition.

The Pantsir, among other things, is equipped with a thermal imager, so anti-aircraft gunners can see whether an explosive charge with destructive elements is attached to the plastic bodies of these aircraft or not. The intensity of the calculations of the complexes is extreme. Each shift they identify up to a dozen targets in the sky. If they enter the Pantsirs’ affected area, they are immediately destroyed,” says the materials of the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to the department, due to its high efficiency, enemy reconnaissance launched a real hunt for the air defense missile system. In this regard, the crews of the complexes quickly change their deployment locations several times during a combat shift. The Pantsirs are covered by military personnel armed with Igla MANPADS.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin said in February, the Pantsir is in high demand in the Northeast Military District zone, for the defense of civilian facilities in the rear and covering the state border. It is also popular among the Russian Federation’s partners in military-technical cooperation.

“As for defense enterprises in general and Tula in particular, of course, now we all understand that there are orders to capacity... “Pantsiri” are in high demand. I must say, they are very popular in international arms markets, selling like hot cakes,” said Vladimir Putin at a meeting with participants of the “Everything for Victory!” forum.

According to Rosoboronexport, the Pantsir is capable of 100% of the time destroying missiles fired in one salvo from modern MLRS from Western manufacturers.

In addition to the SVO, Pantsir has been actively used in Syria in recent years. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense missile systems of the army of the Arab Republic regularly reflect Israeli air raids on Damascus International Airport. In particular, they successfully destroy aerial bombs and cruise missiles.

As the ex-chief of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the special forces command of the Russian Air Force, reserve colonel Sergei Khatylev, emphasized in a commentary to RT, “Pantsir” is one of the few air defense systems in the world, the arsenal of which allows it to hit almost any means of air attack.

In the Northern Military District zone, experienced crews demonstrated the outstanding ability of the air defense missile system to conduct “maneuverable combat” and avoid enemy attacks, he added.

“It’s impossible not to pay attention to how well this car performed in the Northern Military District. If the necessary camouflage measures are observed, it is effectively used in a variety of sectors of the front and remains invulnerable to the enemy,” Khatylev said.

In a conversation with RT, military expert Kirill Fedorov called the Pantsir a unique weapon in the arsenal of Russian military air defense. In his opinion, the key advantages of air defense missile systems are high automation of control, mobility and the ability to fire on the move, thus covering ground units on the march.

“Pantsir” is our Kalashnikov assault rifle in the anti-aircraft missile forces. It works well autonomously, is reliable, is almost guaranteed to hit objects caught in the sight, and at the same time is not very expensive. Russia has the opportunity to massively saturate its troops with such air defense systems,” says Fedorov.

"Great modernization potential"

Note that the experience of the SVO allowed us to modify the Pantsir for a more effective fight against drones, missiles and MLRS shells.

“Advances have been introduced into Pantsir, which have made it possible to increase the efficiency of work against UAVs, “complex” projectiles and long-range missiles. The results of the combat use of the complex showed the correctness of the previously adopted design decisions,” the High-Precision Complexes reported in December.  

In January, Rostec announced the completion of tests of the Pantsir-SM-SV modification, which features a tracked chassis. According to experts interviewed by RT, this version of the air defense missile system has improved cross-country ability, which is important for use during muddy roads and winter.

  • Launch of the Pantsir-S rocket

  • © RIA Novosti / Press service of the Western Military District of the Russian Ministry of Defense

In addition, Pantsir-SM is equipped with a new phased array radar. This radar has increased noise immunity and resolution. The detection range of small targets for the modernized complex reaches 75 km.

As Sergey Khatylev noted, the Pantsir-SM has received greater capabilities for hitting targets at low and ultra-low altitudes. He also added that the complex is distinguished by its high security against electronic warfare systems.  

“The updated Pantsir has a very good radar station and modern weapons. It has excellent tactical and technical characteristics, especially for combating UAVs. Like the base complex, Pantsir-SM will cover the S-300, S-350 and S-400 long-range air defense systems,” Khatylev noted.

Mini-missiles were also developed for the Pantsir. These ammunition are designed to increase fire performance to combat small airborne objects, including drones.

As Kirill Fedorov believes, the emergence of such weapons will significantly increase the fire performance of air defense missile systems and expand the capabilities of countering reconnaissance drones and kamikaze drones.

“Small-sized missiles are two to three times smaller in size than standard ones. They have a shorter range and lower speed, but they are cheaper and allow you to increase the ammunition load of the complex. In practice, this will help to more effectively cover both troops and critical infrastructure facilities in the rear,” argues Fedorov.

In the future, he believes, the Pantsir will receive new means of detecting air targets and improved protection against attacks by UAVs and enemy anti-radar missiles.

“Pantsir has great modernization potential. Now the Pantsir-SM will go into service with the troops, hypersonic and small-sized missiles will be used. I think that the complex will retain its status as perhaps the most effective short-range air defense system,” Fedorov concluded.