MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/. Battlefield air defense troops conducted missile launches from S-300V4, Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile systems during massive drills in the southern Astrakhan Region, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.
"Tactical drills of five anti-aircraft missile formations with the launches of S-300V4, Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 air defense systems were held in the Astrakhan Region," the statement says.
According to the Defense Ministry’s data, large-scale drills with the launches of long-, medium and short-range anti-aircraft missile systems were held at the battlefield air defense combat training center in the Astrakhan Region with anti-aircraft missile troops undergoing training (re-training) to learn to operate the most advanced weapons. The troops created multi-layered air defenses to thwart a massive strike by aerospace attack weapons.
In the course of the drills, anti-aircraft missile formations of the Southern, Western and Eastern Military Districts repelled strikes by ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft and an attack by a swarm of drones of a hypothetical enemy. At the Kapustin Yar training ground, a battlefield air defense combined force of five surface-to-air missile formations armed with S-300V4, Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 launchers was set up, the statement says.
At the first frontier of the layered defense, the battalions of S-300V3 long-range air defense systems thwarted a strike by aeroballistic missiles, conducting missile launches against the targets that attacked from an altitude of over 150 km, the press office said.
At the second frontier, the combat teams of Buk-M3 medium-range battlefield air defense systems and battalions of Tor-M2 short-range launchers repelled an attack by the notional enemy’s cruise missiles flying at extremely low altitudes. The combat squads of Buk-M3 and Tor-M2 weapons also struck fast-speed multiple targets that simulated an air raid at a range of 10 km to 40 km, the ministry specified.
The battalions of Tor-M2 short-range missile systems also conducted launches against multiple air targets that simulated an attack by a swarm of the mock enemy’s drones at ranges of up to 15 km. Overall, the anti-aircraft gunners destroyed over 40 aerial sole and multiple targets at altitudes of 7 meters to 35 km, launching missiles to ranges of 3 km to 50 km. The drills involved over 1,000 personnel and 300 items of armament and military hardware. All the designated targets were wiped out in the course of the drills, the Defense Ministry reported.