The first regiment armed with S-300PT systems assumed combat duty in 1979. Subsequent upgrades of this anti-aircraft missile system led to the emergence of new systems – S-300V and S-300VM Antey-2500, S-300PMU1, S-300PMU2 Favorit.
The decision to re-equip the 41st Air Defense Division, whose regiments are located in Novosibirsk, Angarsk, Irkutsk Region, Abakan and Krasnoyarsk, was taken by the Russian Ministry of Defense in July 2021.
According to the military department, rearmament will be completed by the end of 2022.
“It is believed that the Moscow air defense ring is equipped with the most powerful and modern air defense systems,” Lieutenant General Aitech Bizhev, former Air Force Commander of the CIS Joint Air Defense System, told socialbites.ca. – That’s right, but if you look at the layout of the anti-aircraft divisions in the Moscow region, they include both the latest S-500 and S-400 systems, as well as the modernized version of the S-300. This is due to layered defense, when some systems hit air targets from a greater distance, others at a closer range. In the immediate vicinity of the protected facilities, security is provided by the Pantsir-SM anti-aircraft missile and weapon systems and other close-range weapons.
Lieutenant General Bizhev stressed that the deployment of the S-300PM2 complexes in the Siberian region “cannot be considered a sign of the absence of important protected objects.”
“First of all, Favorit maintains the range of possible enemy air weapons up to 200 km. Second, it has the ability to control near space and destroy ballistic missiles,” he said.
For comparison: the range of the S-500 Prometheus is 600 km, and the S-400 Triumph is up to 300 km.
“The deliveries of these anti-aircraft systems to the region are fully justified. These are truly new complexes, despite their already familiar name. The same S-300PM-2 is the most “advanced” complex from the entire “three hundred” family. They will replace the previous S-300 models currently on duty in Siberia, ”Bizhev told socialbites.ca.
The general emphasized that the “Favorite” can effectively work in conditions of intense radio interference from the enemy. The system can hit any air target: aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Previously, this direction was covered from the territory of Kazakhstan within the framework of a single air defense system. The cooperation agreement between Moscow and Nur-Sultan was extended, but it was probably decided to play it safe. It should be noted that Kazakhstan has a five-year military cooperation agreement with the United States, which will expire in 2022 and will most likely be extended. It is likely that this was the reason for the accelerated rearmament of Russian air defense systems in the Eastern Siberian region. Of course, we do not expect a backstab from Kazakhstan, but we need to insure ourselves,” says military political scientist Valery Volkov.
Military expert, reserve colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky recalls that initially this was a single air defense and missile defense system.
“Previously, this entire section of the air border in Soviet times was guarded by the 14th separate air defense army,” Drobyshevsky told socialbites.ca. – Its headquarters was located in Novosibirsk, but the missile divisions were scattered over a wide territory, which included not only the regions of the RSFSR, but also the union republics. The 56th Air Defense Corps in Semipalatinsk and the 7th Division in Alma-Ata were based directly on the territory of Kazakhstan. After 91 years, the interaction remained.”
At the same time, Drobyshevsky believes that this area is “rear”, and therefore the S-500 and S-400 are not supplied here.
“Indeed, mass deliveries of S-500 Prometheus systems will only be closed in the future, and above all Moscow, Crimea and Rostov-on-Don. Eastern Siberia, as a rear zone without a potential threat, will be quite reliably protected by the “Favorites”, with their ability to withstand even some hypersonic missiles that are not yet in service with any army in the world, except Russia. a. But the corresponding developments continue – sooner or later our “Western partners” will have these weapons, and we must prepare for this in advance, ”says Drobyshevsky.