Russia Completes Tests of New Anti-Drone Missiles - Source
23.01.2024 16:15
Russia Completes Tests of New Anti-Drone Missiles - Source
Photo: Sputnik / Alexander Vilf
"Enterprises of the defense industrial complex in cooperation with the military are completing tests of anti-drone mini-missiles. It is expected that in the near future they will be put into service with anti-aircraft missile systems, carrying out combat duty in the zone of the special military operation," the source said.
The missiles, according to the source, are primarily designed to destroy small UAVs, quadcopters, as well as FPV drones, which are actively used on the line of contact for reconnaissance and strikes. The source specified that the mini-missiles will be used as part of the modernized Pantsir-SM anti-aircraft missile systems, which began arriving in the special military operation zone last year.
The new missiles, the source noted, have a standard layout for the Pantsir complex - upper stage plus trailing stage, but with significantly reduced dimensions both in terms of diameter and length. As a result, a Pantsir-SM combat vehicle can be equipped with 48 anti-drone missiles instead of 12 standard missiles.
The new missiles are significantly cheaper than standard missiles, which will increase the economic efficiency of the Pantsir-SM, "since it will not be necessary to hit drones with ammunition that costs at least ten times more than the target itself," the source added.