The Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system is an ammunition package for 16 missiles, a target detection range of 32 km, and a range of 16 km. Thanks to the anti-aircraft gunners of the southern group of forces, enemy aircraft practically do not appear on the Donetsk front, and if they work, then from very long distances. On May 2, Izvestia showed the work of the Tor-M2 air defense system. He told me on May 2, demonstrating the work of a combat vehicle.
As the correspondent of Izvestia, Valentin Trushnin, said, the enemy throws planning bombs, but the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have learned how to shoot them down successfully.
According to the commander of the battery "Tor-ov" of the southern group of troops with the call sign Hedgehog, this machine is capable of destroying any cruise missiles in the affected area. He has been on his own since the first day and is one of those who weaned the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from using Bayraktar attack UAVs, shooting down several pieces in the area of Zmeiny Island. Now he and his team are closing the sky over Donetsk.
"The main task of my battery is to prevent the passage of enemy aircraft in the area of responsibility, the passage of cruise missiles, the flight of guided aerial bombs. My battery destroyed 15 guided bombs, six cruise missiles, and prevented enemy aircraft from flying over. The coefficient of destruction of the enemy aircraft is 0.9%, almost 100% of the missile hitting the target. Moreover, the missile recognizes false targets, follows the true target until the moment of defeat," said the Hedgehog.
The commander of the calculation with the call sign Skala shot down more than 40 air targets during his time. Recently, they have mainly become reconnaissance drones of the airplane type — "Furies", "Leleks" and others. Inside the combat vehicle, he shows the workplace of the commander and operator, explains how and what they see on the screens.
"A small white dot appears on the operator's indicator, which is moving. You can distinguish what kind of target it is by the level of the signal that comes from the target. For example, if you accompany a bird, the signal will be very weak and unstable. When you accompany a drone, its signal is calm, and you can also see it in the camera," explained Skala.
The operator of the Tor-M2 with the call sign Bumblebee shows on the radar how the target is being observed, since the signal is reflected from everything, and the antenna of the combat vehicle catches and reflects the signal.
"It doesn't matter, it's a bird, plywood, iron, the signal is reflected from everything and returns to us. I aim at the target, the car captures it for car tracking and then accompanies it itself," he noted.
However, as the Izvestia correspondent found out, during the guidance, the "Tor" is ringing and is clearly visible to the enemy. Therefore, we need to act quickly. And if the missile has already been fired, you need to act coolly: do not try to leave, but calmly shoot it down. And the fighters also have such experience.
"This is one of the targets destroyed by our air defense system. The American aviation anti-radar missile HARM. It was launched from an airplane, flew at our positions. It is aimed at detection stations, guidance stations — in general, at radars (radar stations. — Ed.). But our guys were quicker. They hit her. Here the warhead was demolished, and the rear, in which the main engine is located, just fell to the ground," the journalist showed one of the targets shot down by Thor.
On April 29, the Ministry of Defense told how the calculation of the Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system of the state border protection group destroyed reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the border territories of the Belgorod region.
Earlier, on March 15, Izvestia correspondent Kirill Olkov showed how the artillery calculation of the Tor SAM of the Vostok grouping of the Russian Armed Forces hits the air targets of the Ukrainian army in the Ugledar direction. The key goal of the gunners is to cover the main ground units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from enemy air strikes.
The special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
Watch more relevant videos and details about the situation in Donbass on the Izvestia TV channel
