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| Russian S-1 Pantsir System Capable of Neutralizing Ukraine's HIMARS Rocket Attack |
Moscow - Russia stated that rockets fired from the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system supplied by the West to Ukraine, are no longer a problem for Russia's Pantsir S-1 air defense system. During the Special Military Operation in Ukraine, the Pantsir system with a full ammunition load of 12 anti-aircraft missiles managed to shoot down a number of rockets launched by HIMARS.
Oleg Sitnikov, representative of Shcheglovsky Val JSC (the holding company of High-Precision Systems of Rostec State Corporation), told the Zvezda channel. “HIMARS is armed with different types of rockets that fly at different distances, at different speeds. And there was already such an example from the special military operations zone, when our combat vehicle with 12 missiles, full ammunition load, hit 12 HIMARS rockets," said Sitnikov.
TASS on May 7 reported that Russian air defense systems intercepted five HIMARS rockets, a Grom-2 tactical missile, and a Tockha-U missile in recent days. The Russian News Agency quoted the spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, on Sunday. "The air defense intercepted five HIMARS rockets, a Grom-2 tactical missile and a Tochka-U tactical missile in recent days," Konashenkov said.
Konashenkov added that ten drones were destroyed near Tavolzhanka in the Kharkov Region, Donetsk and in the Grishino People's Republic of Donetsk. Ukrainian drones were also destroyed in Kremennaya as well as in Svatovo, Lugansk People's Republic and Rabotino, Ilchenkovo in the Zaporozhye Region.
On January 26, Russia modified the Pantsir-S1 air defense system with new software to intercept US-made HIMARS rockets. The Pantsir-S1 is used to protect Russian military facilities and civilian infrastructure from Ukrainian HIMARS attacks.
The commander of the Russian Pantsir-S1 with the call sign Baron from the Western Military District of Russia explained, the special feature of the Pantsir S1 is its 360-degree view capability to attack various types of air targets such as airplanes, helicopters, MLRS and drones.
It added that the Pantsir-S1 can operate even in a mobile state. "We have shot down various types of targets such as the Bayraktar drone and the Tochka-U (ballistic missile)," he said in a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Pantsir-S1's detection capabilities allow the operator to see large moving objects in the sky to objects such as small 30×30 cm drones that are commonly used by the enemy to scout the terrain and carry out kamikaze missions.
The Pantsir-S1 is also equipped with a thermal imager and is capable of tracking dozens of targets. The system is armed with 12 surface-to-air missiles and two coaxial anti-aircraft guns with a maximum rate of fire of 5,000 rounds per minute.