Air Defense: Russia Makes War On UAVs

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January 14, 2014: Russia is upgrading its Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft systems so that they are better able to detect and shoot down UAVs and also better protected against extreme cold. This allows the system to be deployed to reopened Russian bases on the northern (Arctic) coast. Older systems will be upgraded and newly built systems with the upgrades will appear in 2015. The Russian military has fifty Pantsir-S1 vehicles and over 200 have been exported, mainly to the Middle East.

Pantsir-S1 systems are mounted on an 8x8 truck which carries radar, two 30mm cannon, and twelve Tunguska missiles. The 90 kg (198 pound) Tunguska has a twenty kilometer range while the Pantsir-S1 radar has a 30 kilometer range. The missile can hit targets at up to 8,400 meters (26,000 feet) high. The 30mm cannon are effective up to 3,200 meters (10,000 feet). The vehicles used to carry all the Pantsir-S1 can vary, but the most common one used weighs 20 tons and has a crew of three.

 

 

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