The Russian Armed Forces have received a new batch of surface-to-air missiles for their Pantsir-S air defense systems

In order to meet various state orders, the High Precision Systems holding company recently completed the delivery of a new batch of surface-to-air missiles for the Russian Armed Forces’ Pantsir-S air defense systems. The delivery was confirmed by the state-owned conglomerate Rostec and adds to a series of recent developments related to this short-range defense system.

Although no specific details were disclosed, it is presumed that the delivery consisted of a new batch of 57E6 surface-to-air missiles, the primary guided projectile used by Pantsir-S systems. However, in line with growing requirements to counter the threat posed by various types of drones, the development of a new family of shorter-range missiles has been confirmed. These have been designated TKB-1055 and are optimized specifically for engaging such targets.

The introduction of this new family of very short-range missiles comes alongside ongoing modernization and optimization efforts for the Pantsir-S system. In that regard, and in light of the recent missile delivery, the Rostec consortium stated that “…specialists are working on modernizing the Pantsir family systems, taking into account new information about the enemy’s offensive capabilities.”

Although no further details were provided, this statement could be related to the new version of the system, known as the Pantsir-SMD-E, which was unveiled at the 2024 edition of the ARMY exhibition. This version includes improvements over earlier models to better respond to threats such as drones.

From what has been observed, the new Pantsir variant retains the characteristic 57E6 missile launch tubes, supplemented by an additional system for launching smaller projectiles or missiles in greater quantity—suggesting these are the TKB-1055 missiles. The entire system continues to be equipped with twin 30mm 2A38M autocannons.

*Cover photo credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

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