The upgraded Pantsir-SM combined surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system, equipped with a multifunctional targeting system, will be able to destroy targets 40 kilometers away – twice the range of the current configuration, the first deputy CEO, chief designer of the Instrument Design Bureau KBP, in Tula (an affiliate of Rostec), Alexander Khomyakov, told the media.
“The newly-developed multi-functional targeting system incorporating an active phased array radar doubles Pantsir’s effective range,” Khomyakov said.
He recalled that the range of fire of the current system Pantsir-S1 is about 20 kilometers, while the next generation, Pantsir-SM can hit targets 40 kilometers away.
The new Pantsir will be able to identify targets at a distance of 75 kilometers (in contrast to the current model’s 40-kilometer capability, Khomyakov said.
The components of a newly-developed air defense system are in the testing phase. Khomyakov said nothing about when they may be completed.
Last August the Russian Defense Ministry said that Pantsir-SM would go operational “very soon.”
According to earlier reports, the new system will be armed with a high-speed missile noticeably surpassing the current equivalents.
There have been reports work is in progress on Pantsir’s naval and Arctic configurations.
The export-oriented Pantsir-S1M packs 12 ready to fire missiles of two types. The 57E6-E covers a range of 15-18 km and the new 57E6M-E missile doubles the range to 30 km. The export-oriented Pantsir-S1M system was launched earlier this year at the IDEX 2019 expo in Dubai. The new missile has a longer minimum range of 1,200 meters, compared to the original missile effective at 15 meters.
The export-oriented Pantsir-S1M packs 12 ready to fire missiles of two types. The 57E6-E covers a range of 15-18 km and the new 57E6M-E missile doubles the range to 30 km.
The export-oriented Pantsir-S1M system was launched earlier this year at the IDEX 2019 expo in Dubai.
The new missile has a longer minimum range of 1,200 meters, compared to the original missile effective at 15 meters.
In recent years Pantsir air defense systems were engaged in multiple combat events in Syria. Systems operated by Russian teams have been deployed to the Hmeymim air base near Latakiya, where it was deployed along the S-400 to protect the base.
Syrian manned Pantsirs attempted to counter repeated attacks on Syrian air bases but often failed to defeat guided weapons allegedly used by the Israel Air Force.
Defending the Russian forces at Hmeymim the systems encountered multiple attacks by improvised attack drones (aerial IEDs) initially demonstrating marginal success.
Opposition groups in Syria made several attempts to attack the Russian airbase at Hmeymim with makeshift drones or bombard it with rockets.
The missiles were able to intercept the rockets, but drones posed a more challenging target. Some of the attacks were repelled by electronic warfare activities, as well as SA-15 and SA-22 air defenses, others managed to penetrate the perimeter and hit exposed targets at the base.
In total, at least 22 drone attacks were documented in the area of the base, some of which were able to target the Airbase and cause material damage. 13 of the attacks occurred in the month of July 2018 and 12 occurred in April 2019.
The airbase is protected by the Pantsir-S1 system.
The Defense Ministry says the system demonstrated its high effectiveness in countering such threats.
