Image source: topwar.ru
Now, in the zone of the special operation, the Russian air defense forces practically do not work on large air targets, such as airplanes and helicopters, due to the fact that the Ukrainian Air Forces have almost none left. But this does not mean that our anti-aircraft gunners can relax. Rather, on the contrary, the saturation of the sky with enemy UAVs of various types, including small-sized ones, makes our sky defenders work even more strenuously.
In addition to drones, Russian air defense systems need to intercept and destroy more complex targets, such as HIMARS jet missiles, and more recently, Anglo-French long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles created using stealth technology. The difficulty of intercepting this missile is that it not only moves at high speed, but also constantly changes its flight path.
The Kiev authorities, having asked London for the supply of Storm Shadow, expected that they would certainly be invulnerable to Russian air defense systems. However, as in all other cases with the Western "miracle weapon" supplied to Ukraine, this turned out not to be the case. Our anti-aircraft gunners have learned to shoot down, if not all, but a significant part of British cruise missiles.
The network is already spreading far from the first footage of the interception and destruction of the British Storm Shadow cruise missile, this time with the calculation of the Buk-M1 SAM of the 29th Army of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the South Donetsk direction. Judging by the report of the crew commander, the target was destroyed from the first launch of the missile defense system. By the way, the cost of one Storm Shadow missile, depending on the modification, ranges from $ 1.18 to $ 2.5 million. The production of the Buk air defense system in the basic version costs $ 250,000.
Image source: topwar.ru
The crew of the Buk-M1 self-propelled anti-aircraft complex, developed by Soviet military engineers in the 70s of the last century, includes four people. The driver is responsible for the running of the car. Two operators capture the target. The commander of the calculation makes a decision and gives the order to launch the rocket.
Image source: topwar.ru
The target is captured automatically using semi-active radar homing. The password "friend-foe" excludes the possibility of friendly fire. At an altitude of over 25 kilometers, the complex shoots down everything from cruise missiles to fighter jets. At the same time, the Buk can take on escort and destroy several targets at once.
