In the recent Russian terrorist attacks on Ukrainian cities at the beginning of the week, Western secret services noted inconsistencies that have cropped up since the summer: Russia fires expensive missiles from S-300P systems – which actually have a very different job.
According to the Ukrainian government and published photos, the many missile parts found in the smoking debris of Mykolaiv are not the usual cruise missiles or kamikaze drones – they are the remains of 5V55R anti-aircraft missiles fired by S-300P batteries. But why do highly sensitive, expensive anti-aircraft missiles, intended to be used against high-flying fighter jets, explode in Ukrainian homes?
Suddenly “surface-to-ground” missiles
Because, contrary to Western construction philosophy, Russia has equipped these anti-aircraft missiles not only with a “surface-to-air” mode, but also with a “surface-to-surface” mode. In an emergency, the operational crew can also attack fixed ground targets rather than flying targets, as the missiles are equipped with a built-in inertial navigation system and sometimes GPS as well.
Unusual usage
What sounds innovative is very controversial in practice: On the one hand, anti-aircraft missiles have relatively small warheads of about 100 kilograms, which is about a quarter of the destructive potential of a Kalibr cruise missile. In addition, the missiles are built from the ground up to be guided by radar to a very fast, highly mobile target in the air – without this radar or radio line they will be inaccurate, despite the GPS on board.
Video: S-300 in its usual role as an anti-aircraft missile
Its range against ground targets is approximately 120 kilometers, limited more by its ability to navigate on its own than by its rocket propulsion, writes the defense blog “The Drive”.
Are arms stocks dwindling?
Western observers infer that Russia is “replenishing” its limited stock of steerable surface-to-surface missiles with S-300 missiles. And watch Russia’s precision weapons dwindle as a result of the chip embargo. But even without precision weapons, observers such as military expert Franz-Stefan Gady agree that there is still a huge potential for destruction in Russia.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
