Pantsir Air Defense System Tested Against Armored Vehicles

Russian Pantsir-S has been tested against the targets simulating armoured personnel carriers at a distance of up to 3km.

Trials were held by Russian Northern Fleet at Arctic base Northern Clover on Kotelny Island in the Laptev Sea. The Pantsir hit all targets accurately.

"The shooting was carried out in a difficult meteorological situation, with a strong gusty wind up to 20 meters per second and an air temperature of about zero degrees,” Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement July 29.

Manufacturer Tula-based KBP company claims that the anti-aircraft system has a modular design, jamming-​resistant multiband radar-optical control system and the ability to fire at targets on the move.

On June 24, Russia unveiled Pantsir-SM armed with small missiles to destroy mini-drones during Victory Day Parade. The heavily modernized version of the Pantsir-S is equipped with new long-range missiles. In addition, the system is expected to feature greater capabilities for intercepting artillery munitions, missiles and drones, Russian state-media reported.

Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), told Defenseworld.net in June: “The practical experience of using the Pantsir against inexpensive and small UAVs in active war zones such as Syria has led to the development of miniature missiles by KBP, four of which are placed in the standard transporter-launcher container of the basic anti-aircraft missile of the system. Thus, the principle of hitting a cheap target with a cheap missile is being consistently implemented.”

Video Report:

Pantsir-S has reportedly received an automated control system capable of firing at airborne targets including loitering munitions, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles without any human intervention.