Upgraded Pantsir Air Defense System Can Intercept 100% HIMARS Rockets: Russian Manufacturer

Russia is confident that the upgraded version of its Pantsir air defense system can hit all HIMARS rockets fired by the enemy forces.

"The efficiency of Pantsir surface-to-air missile/gun systems upgraded following the results of the special military operation reaches 100% against rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems in some cases," Industrial Director of the Rostec Cluster of Conventional Armaments, Munitions and Special Chemistry Bekhkhan Ozdoyev told TASS on Thursday.

He explained that weapons undergo continuous modernization based on their performance in the battlefield. “This is a continuous process. For example, after the enemy received HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, specialists of High Precision Systems upgraded the Pantsir to intercept these rockets. Today we see examples when HIMARS strikes are successfully countered by our surface-to-air missile/gun system. There are precedents when all the 12 rockets launched from an American MLRS are shot down," Ozdoyev said.

Pantsirs enable operators to spot cruise and ballistic missiles, helicopters and aircraft or Soviet-and Western-made MLRS rockets and also 30x30 cm utility drones, which Ukrainian reconnaissance frequently uses to ferret out terrain and as kamikaze drones.

The Russian Army operates the Pantsir-S modification with a multi-channel system of locking on and tracking targets. It is capable of striking aerial targets flying at a speed of up to 1,000 m/s and at a distance of 200 meters to 20 km.