Free Republic

Last month has proven to be catastrophic for the credibility of one of Russia’s most touted air defense systems. The troubles for the Pantsir S1 air defense system in Libya began when Khalifa Haftar’s yearlong Tripoli offensive against the Ankara-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) began to collapse. Believed to have been supplied to the Libyan strongman as early as last year by his backers in the Gulf, the Russian system was meant to be used as a trump card against Turkey’s combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) air interdiction operations. Yet, after a major GNA counteroffensive last month, and the...

Moscow offered two explanations on Monday as to why its Russian-made Pantsir S-1 missile defense system embarrassingly took a direct hit during an Israeli airstrike last week. "One is that it had already used up its ammunition reserve," Aytech Bizhev, the former deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, said, according to RT. "The other is that it was simply turned off; it wasn't battle ready." Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of Iranian military sites in Syria last Thursday, killing at least 23 people, including 5 Syrian soldiers.

The Russian military has claimed that the Syrian air defences, whose most modern weapon is a three-decades-old Russian-supplied anti-aircraft system, shot down 71 of 103 missiles fired by the US and its allies, the UK and France, a claim denied by the Pentagon. As further details began to emerge about the sites targeted by the US-led strikes, Col Gen Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian military said the strikes had not caused any casualties and that Syrian military facilities suffered only minor damage. It was not possible to verify the claims. The most up-to-date system that Moscow has supplied to the...

Russian industry sources said the Pantsyr-S1E air defense system project has fallen way behind schedule for Arab clients. The sources said manufacturer Instrument Design Bureau, or KBP, has failed to maintain the pace set for production and trials. "This could affect future deals," an industry source said. At least five Middle East states have ordered the 96K6 Pantsyr short-range system. They were identified as Algeria, Iran, Jordan, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Several other countries, including Saudi Arabia, were said to be considering Pantsyr for point defense. The biggest delay has been reported in the UAE, which ordered 50...

The Russian Air Force has received the first batch of ten Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems, the Defence Ministry has said. The missile systems, designed to protect civilian and military targets from aerial attacks, were delivered to the Air Force by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau during a ceremony held in the city of Tula on March 18, 2010, RIA Novosti reported. The addition of the new weapon system will increase the Russian Air Force's effectiveness and sustainability in air defence, Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik told the news agency. The Pantsir-S1 (NATO name SA-22 Greyhound) is...