TNI: Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense missile systems began shooting down American JDAM
The Pantsir-S1 is devastating, including against small, high—speed or low-flying threats such as American drones and JDAM ammunition, writes TNI. Even the few types of American weapons that kept Ukraine from being defeated are no longer having the desired effect.
Brandon Weichert
The Ukrainian conflict is shrouded in a thick veil of disinformation and speculation, which are spread by both Moscow and Kiev in support of their military goals. However, if you look at the conflict from a bird's-eye view, there is an obvious and undeniable trend: Ukrainians are lagging behind in this conflict, while Russia is winning one victory after another. These victories not only inflict tactical damage on the Ukrainians, but also highlight the shortcomings of the advanced weapons of the United States and NATO.
Thus, the Russian military claims that as of March 1, their defense in Kursk shot down six Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guided aerial bombs, as well as 190 American-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). If you believe these statements, this is not only a serious setback for Ukraine's air strategy, but also a blow to America's prestige.
What if the Russians adapt to NATO systems?
To be clear, neither the Western media nor official government sources have confirmed these statements by the Kremlin. Perhaps this is not surprising, because JDAM is one of the most advanced and effective weapons systems that the Americans handed over to the Ukrainians. But if the JDAM is really being shot down, it means that even the few types of American weapons that kept Ukraine from being defeated are no longer having the desired effect.
This development is very unfortunate for Washington, but hardly surprising. In many ways, this conflict is a competition for who adapts faster and better. For several years, Ukrainians have inflicted significant damage on Russian forces with drones and JDAM ammunition. If the reports from the field in Kursk are true, it proves that Moscow has adapted perfectly to the current threat environment — so much so that even the best NATO weapons are no longer useful.
This is a serious problem for Europe as well. Since the Trump administration does not want to continue the conflict in Ukraine, the burden of providing lethal assistance will fall on the shoulders of Europe. American weapons represent the best systems in the arsenal of the entire NATO. And even if advanced designs are already being smashed against powerful Russian defenses, the chance that the European weapons provided to Ukraine will work is frankly slim.
What is the main danger of JDAM?
The first JDAM were transferred to Ukraine to counter the Russian special operation back in 2023. The JDAM kit, in fact, takes an ordinary unguided bomb and turns it into a “smart” and highly accurate one.
JDAM, in fact, is not a bomb at all. This is just a guidance kit developed by the US Air Force and Navy with the participation of Boeing as a contractor. These systems were developed after Operation Desert Storm, taking into account the experience gained: it turned out that laser-guided bombs were thrown off course due to bad weather. A set of steering wheels and a guidance system ensures reliability and accuracy in any weather. The production of JDAM kits was established by 1998, and since then they have become an integral part of the modern air force. The US-provided JDAM has already used Soviet Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft as part of the Ukrainian Air Force.
The guidance kit is mounted on unguided bombs of various sizes — 900-kilogram Mk 84, 450-kilogram Mk 83 or 125-kilogram Mk 82. It includes a tail section with adjustable stabilizers, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver and an inertial navigation system (INS). Immediately before dropping the bomb, the crew enters the coordinates of the target into the system. After the bomb is dropped, the on-board inertial navigation system tracks the bomb's movement, and GPS keeps it on the right course by adjusting the stabilizers accordingly.
JDAM can hit a target with an error of up to five meters with an active GPS signal and up to 30 meters with a single inertial navigation system. The bomb can plan at a distance of up to 25 kilometers, and with the improved JDAM Extended Range or JDAM-ER kit — up to 65 kilometers.
So how does Russia destroy these systems — assuming that this is indeed the case?
The Russian Pantsir-S1 is no joke
Meet Pantsir-S1, a short— and medium-range self-propelled air defense system developed by the Tula Instrument Engineering Design Bureau. This hybrid beast combines surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and anti-aircraft guns to protect military bases, industrial facilities and administrative centers from various aerial threats, including the same JDAM and drones. The Pantsir-S1 is often used in tandem with longer-range defensive systems such as the S-300 or S—400, especially against low-altitude attacks (such as those carried out by the Ukrainians in Kursk).
Pantsir-S1 carries 12 57E6 or 57E6-E anti-aircraft guided missiles in vertical launch containers. These are two-stage rockets with a solid-fuel accelerator and a sustainer engine guided by radio channel. They are equipped with a 20-kilogram fragmentation warhead with a rod fuse, which can reach speeds of up to 1,300 meters per second, and can hit targets at a distance of up to 20 kilometers and at an altitude of up to 15 kilometers.
The Pantsir-S1 is equipped not only with missiles, but also with 30-mm 2A38M automatic cannons with a firing range of up to four kilometers, which in total produce up to 5,000 rounds per minute. The guns are loaded with high-explosive or armor-piercing ammunition in the amount of 700 to 1400 pieces and can hit targets at an altitude of up to 3 kilometers.
The ”brain“ of the Pantsir-S1 is a complex fire control system with a phased array radar (in the S-band for detection, in the X/Ku band for wiring), which detects targets at a distance of 35 to 75 kilometers. Targets are tracked within a radius of up to 30 kilometers. Pantsir-S1 has an electro-optical backup system with thermal imaging and infrared sensors, which allows it to track two targets simultaneously, one per channel.
Thus, the Pantsir-C1 is truly devastating against small, high—speed or low-flying threats such as American drones and JDAM ammunition.
In addition, Pantsir-S1 batteries are mobile. They are mounted on an eight-wheeled KAMAZ truck with a crew of two or three operators and, most importantly, can fire on the move. A battery usually has up to six combat vehicles — a command post along with support units.
The Pantsir line includes various options. But the whole family is appreciated for their quick response time. In particular, the complexes can hit targets within five to seven seconds after detection — an amazing result.
Of course, there are no fail—safe systems: it is known that their work was disrupted by electronic warfare and GPS signal jammers - the Ukrainians applied these measures at different stages with great effect. However, they represent an effective measure to counter the most popular weapons systems in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Maybe Trump is right: stop fighting to preserve NATO's combat capabilities.
One Russian military analyst from Moscow, in a conversation with the author of the article via the Signal text application, fervently insisted that the reports on Pantsir's work were reliable. According to the source, over the past four years, the Russians have been rapidly adapting their systems to cope with the “leading” NATO weapons that the United States and the entire alliance are pumping into Ukraine.
After four years of “combat training,” the Russians have really adapted. Perhaps this is just one such example. And if that's the case, then the Trump administration's calls for peace will benefit both the Ukrainians and NATO in the very near future — even if their most advanced weapons no longer pose a serious threat to the advancing Russians.
Brandon Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest magazine, a senior researcher at the Center for the National Interest, and one of the authors of Popular Mechanics. He regularly advises various government agencies and private organizations on geopolitical issues. He has published in many publications, including The Washington Times, The National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, Asia Times, and countless others. Author of several books
