The propaganda media of the aggressor country announced the arrival of the new Russian S-350 Vityaz anti-aircraft missile system at the front in the spring of 2023.

Already in December, Ukrainian defenders reported that FPV kamikaze drones allegedly destroyed vehicles of this enemy air defense system on one of the sections of the front.

The emergence of such anti-aircraft systems in the temporarily occupied territory creates new challenges for Ukrainian combat aircraft near the contact line, reconnaissance and attack drones, and cruise missiles. Therefore, it is worth considering the main characteristics of the S-350 SAM and the prospects for its further supply to the Russian military.

Development of S-350 Vityaz SAM

Almaz-Antey Corporation started the development of the Russian S-350 medium-range air defense system in 2007. The design was based on the developments of the KM-SAM export project, which the Russians developed in the interests of South Korea after winning an international tender. Korea’s funding of the KM-SAM research and development work also allowed the development of the Vityaz system to continue.

In 2012, a prototype of the SAM was manufactured. The tests started in 2013 and lasted until April 2019. Already in December 2019, Almaz-Antey transferred the first S-350 air defense systems to the Russian Defense Ministry. In February 2020, this system entered the 11th Training Center of Anti-aircraft Missile Troops in the Leningrad region to train future operators of this air defense system. Thus, the first Vityaz entered the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation in 2020.

Combat capabilities

S-350 Vityaz air defense systems should replace S-300PS and Buk-М1-2 air defense systems. It is designed to defend administrative, industrial, and military facilities against massive air strikes. It is stated that the system is allegedly capable of simultaneously repelling the strikes of various air threats from different directions.

The Russians claim that the S-350 can destroy aerodynamic targets at a distance of up to 60 km and at an altitude of up to 30 km. According to the manufacturer, the Vityaz can allegedly shoot down ballistic targets at a range of up to 30 km and at an altitude of up to 25 km. At the same time, the system can engage a maximum of 16 aerodynamic targets (airplanes, UAVs, cruise missiles) or 12 ballistic targets. The time to deploy the system to a combat position is 5 minutes.

Composition of the system

S-350 Vityaz SAM consists of:

• 50К6А command post;
• up to two 50N6А multifunctional radar;
• up to eight 50P6А self-propelled launchers.

All elements of the S-350 anti-aircraft missile system are installed on a BAZ-69092-012 special wheel chassis.

Missiles

Two types of anti-aircraft missiles can be used in the Vityaz: medium-range 9M96 (9M96E/9M96E2) or short-range 9M100. Each 50P6A launcher carries 12 anti-aircraft missiles.

The 9M96E and 9M96E2 single-stage solid-propellant missiles, which differ in engine power, maximum range, altitude range, and weight and size characteristics, are designed with a canard configuration. During launch, the rockets use a cold vertical launch – before the launch of the main engine, they are ejected from the container to an altitude of over 30 meters. In the process of rising to this altitude, the missile tilts toward the air target using a propulsion system. In addition, it is stated that the propulsion system provides the missile with a super-maneuverability mode, with a missile overload of up to 20g.

Missiles on the initial and middle stages of the flight path use inertial control with radio adjustment from the air defense system, and immediately before intercepting an air target, the missile switches to active radar homing due to its own homing head.

In turn, the 9M100 (9M100E) anti-aircraft missile is a single-stage, short-range missile with a controlled thrust vector solid fuel motor. In the middle section of the trajectory, the missile is controlled by an inertial system with radio correction from radar, and in the final section, the air target is captured by a passive infrared homing. The range of the target is up to 15 km at an altitude of up to 8 km. It is worth noting that there is no publicly available information on the actual use of these missiles in the S-350 SAM.

It is known from open sources that as of 2022, the aggressor country’s military had only six S-350 launchers. Earlier, the aggressor country planned to adopt the 12 battalions of S-350 air defense systems between 2021 and 2027. The anti-aircraft missile systems are to be deployed in five air defense regiments.

Thus, it can be assumed that the Russians do not have time to supply these air defense systems to their military. The cause of the production delays has not been reported. Perhaps the S-350 was supposed to use electronic elements from foreign manufacturers, but the sanctions made it very difficult to supply components. And they are now trying to transfer the S-350 system to another, more affordable element base.

Possible hit of S-350

On December 6, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine shared a video capturing the defeat of Russian equipment in the temporarily occupied territory.

It was stated that the soldiers of the Lastivka (Swallow – ed.) detachment from the National Guard 11th Brigade, namely the “Samosud” crew, used FPV drones to hit vehicles of the Russian S-350 system.

Ігор Клименко:

Нацгвардійці на Херсонщині знищили російський ЗРК "Витязь".

Це новітній російський зенітно-ракетний комплекс малої та середньої дальності, призначений для точкового захисту від літаків, балістичних ракет, дронів та високоточних атак. pic.twitter.com/Z6oKoxmYoa

— МВС України (@MVS_UA) December 6, 2023

It is reported that one launcher was destroyed, and another vehicle was damaged on the left bank of the Kherson region.

However, it is worth noting that it is difficult to identify vehicles in the published video due to the distance and poor image quality of the drone camera.

For clarity, one can compare the image of the vehicle in the video with the 50P6 launcher of the S-350 air defense system. The vehicle in the video also does not look like the radar or control machine of this Russian air defense system.

Another vehicle captured on video is generally difficult to visually identify. It may be a conventional Army tented truck. However, it is impossible to confirm or deny the fact that vehicles from the Vityaz system were hit.

Despite the statements of Russian propagandists about the successful use of the new S-350 air defense system in the war against Ukraine, there is no publicly available data that could confirm these statements.