The calculations of the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system successfully repelled a combined air attack. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, radar detection equipment recorded high-speed targets, which after analysis were classified as strike drones and rockets fired from the HIMARS MLRS.
After capturing the targets, the air defense systems hit them at a distance that excluded entry into the strike zone.
Buk-M1 has confirmed its ability to work in conjunction with various types of high-speed targets — from small drones to ballistic missiles. The episode demonstrates the preservation of a stable radar field, which allows timely detection of threats.
GMLRS shells, which are usually fired by the HIMARS MLRS, reach speeds of up to Mach 2.5 — about 850 meters per second. The Buk-M1 air defense system is normally designed to intercept targets moving at speeds up to 800 m/s, and the speed of its own 9M38M1 anti-aircraft missile reaches 850 m/s. The air defense system hits targets at a range of 3 to 32–35 km and at an altitude of 15 meters to 22 km.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Buk-M1 calculations have already adapted to the HIMARS ballistics and have ceased to consider these shells a difficult target, hitting them on approach before entering the launch zone.
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