SEVASTOPOL, July 9. /TASS/. The combat teams of Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircraft missile/gun systems of Russia’s Southern Military District held drills in Crimea to hunt and eliminate enemy drones that attempted to attack S-400 air defense launchers, the Black Sea Fleet’s press office reported on Friday.

The drills are running amid NATO’s Sea Breeze maneuvers in the Black Sea that involve Ukraine, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Latvia, and other countries. About 4,000 personnel, 40 combat ships, vessels and auxiliary craft, 30 aircraft, and over 100 motor and armored vehicles are involved in the Sea Breeze 2021 maneuvers.

"The teams of Pantsyr-S1 surface-to-air missile/gun systems from the Southern Military District’s air defense regiment stationed on the Crimean Peninsula held an exercise to practice hunting and eliminating aerial targets. Under the scenario of the scheduled exercise, the notional enemy employed unmanned aerial vehicles to attack the positions of S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems," the press office said in a statement.

The Pantsyr-S1 crews detected, identified, and eliminated the aerial targets at a maximum possible distance from the shielded hardware. The targets, their characteristics and missile launches were simulated electronically, the statement says.

Pantsyr-S1 anti-aircraft missile/gun launchers are deployed on the Crimean Peninsula to provide for its air defense, and shield the positions of S-400 ‘Triumf’ surface-to-air missile systems.

S-400 Triumf and Pantsyr-S1 systems

Russia’s S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the latest long-and medium-range surface-to-air missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designated to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and can also be used against ground installations. The S-400 can engage targets at a distance of up to 400 km, and at an altitude of up to 35 km under intensive enemy fire and jamming.

The Pantsyr-S1 (NATO reporting name: SA-22 Greyhound) is a ground-based self-propelled surface-to-air missile/gun system designated to shield military and civilian facilities, including long-range air defense systems, from all existing and future air attack weapons.

The Pantsyr mounted on the truck chassis for greater mobility is armed with two 30 mm guns, each of which is capable of firing up to 40 rounds per second, as well as with 12 anti-aircraft missiles.