The crew of the latest Pantsir-SM SAM system has for the first time in combat conditions confirmed the ability to kinetically intercept (via the "hit-to-kill" method) the American MGM-140B ATACMS Block IA tactical ballistic missile. This was reported by military expert Evgeny Damantsev.
According to him, the crew used the latest hypersonic 5.56-Mach two-stage 57E6M surface-to-air guided missile (SAM) with a kinetic "Veil"-type warhead.
The analyst noted that the angle of contact was about 85 - 90 degrees. The radar guidance system based on the 1RS2-3 reflective phased array radar acquired the ATACMS missile at a distance of about 17 km and an altitude of about 13 km, while the interception occurred at a missile flight speed of about 850-900 m/s.
Thus, the Pantsir-SM at distances up to 20 km demonstrates parameters previously available only to multi-element SAM systems such as Patriot PAC-3MSE, SAMP-T, and S-350A Vityaz, which are dozens of times more expensive and complex.
Earlier www1.ru reported that Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev proposed deploying laser systems to protect against UAVs.
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