Poland-Donated S-125 System Helped Ukrainian Forces Shoot Down Over 120 Targets

The Polish-modified S-125 surface-to-air missile system – the S-125 Newa SC – has enabled one Ukrainian crew to successfully take down more than 120 aerial targets.

A photo showing a vehicle from the system, marked with tallies of confirmed hits, was shared by the press service of Ukraine’s Air Command “East.”

While the command did not specify which exact system was used to intercept the Russian targets, Polish defense media Defence24 identified the vehicle in the photo as the SNR-125 radar, a component of the S-125 Newa SC system.

The released photo shows 113 markings for downed drones and 8 for missiles. While the missile symbols resemble those typically used to indicate Iskander-M ballistic missiles, the system itself is not capable of intercepting ballistic targets.

According to the command, the air defense crew has taken down nearly 200 enemy targets in total – including missiles, as well as both strike and reconnaissance drones.

“Not a single target was left unnoticed. All were destroyed. There were times when we took down several Shaheds at once. Gradually, the enemy stopped flying in our area entirely. Sometimes we would eliminate up to ten targets during a single shift. For a while, it became routine — shooting down several targets almost every day,” said Ihor, one of the members of the air defense crew.

S-125 Newa SC

The S-125 Newa SC (System Cyfrowy – “Digital System”) is a Polish upgrade of the Soviet-era S-125 Neva-M surface-to-air missile system, initially developed in the 1960s. The system was designed to counter low-altitude piloted and unmanned aerodynamic targets, operating at altitudes ranging from 20 to 18,000 meters and at distances of 3.5 to 25 kilometers.

The system underwent a two-stage modernization as part of Poland’s “Armed Forces Development Concept until 2012,” adopted in the late 1990s.

The first stage of the Neva’s modernization took place in 1992. At that time, the launch system was mounted on a T-55 tank chassis, while the radar antenna unit was installed on a wheeled chassis from a Scud missile system (MAZ-type). This upgrade turned the system into a self-propelled system, significantly enhancing its mobility.

The next stage of modernization began in 1996. After this upgrade, almost everything in the Neva system was replaced except for the missiles. The new system incorporated two processors for processing information about the target’s course and the missiles. In the old Neva, the communication equipment occupied more than ten cabinets; after modernization, it occupies only one cubic meter.

The modernization increased the target detection range, improved resistance to electronic interference, and reduced the number of air defense crew members by half.

Poland has not officially announced the transfer of S-125 air defense systems to Ukraine; however, the distinctive S-125 Newa SC launchers, mounted on T-55 tank chassis, were already spotted in Ukraine as early as 2022.