“The S-350 Vityaz air defense system detected, tracked and destroyed Ukrainian air targets in fully automatic mode without the operator’s participation. The system’s missiles shot down several Ukrainian combat aircraft and drones,” RIA Novosti news agency reported. The crew was only tasked with monitoring the S-350 system’s operations.
RIA Novosti quoted a well-informed source as explaining: “The automatic mode is implemented based on the principle of not canceling the decisions made by the complex’s artificial intelligence in an air combat situation. That is, the operator does not intervene in the firing process, which is equivalent to confirming the automatically selected combat algorithm.”
S-350 Vityaz complex. (Photo: Eurasia Times)
The S-350 Vityaz operates in both active and passive radar modes. This method essentially increases the system's resistance to jamming as well as its ability to detect and classify targets. This is the first time Russia has officially confirmed the deployment of this system in Ukraine.
In August 2022, some information and images spread on social networks showed that the S-350 Vityaz system appeared at a Russian airbase, less than 64km from the Ukrainian border, just a few days after attacks on Russian military bases in the Crimean peninsula.
According to American defense expert Guy Plopsky, many parts of the S-350 Vityaz system appeared in the video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense at that time, such as the 50N6A fire control radar, a 96L6-TsP information gathering radar, a 50P6 missile launcher, and a 50P6T launch/loader.
While the video mainly shows Su-25 fighter jets providing close air support at an airbase believed to be near Ukraine, some images of the S-350 have caught the eye.
Observers say the video was likely filmed at Taganrog Air Base, near the port city of the same name in Rostov province bordering the Sea of Azov.
The power of the S-350 Vityaz system
The S-350 Vityaz is a mobile multi-channel medium-range air defense missile system developed by Almaz-Antey for the Russian air defense missile forces. The system is designed to protect state and administrative bodies, industrial and military complexes and military units from air attacks using modern and advanced weapons.
Almaz-Antey began developing the system in the early 1990s and conducted its first tests in 2013. The Russian military received the first S-350 systems in December 2019.
According to some informed sources, the complex can strike ballistic targets at a range of 25 km and aerodynamic airborne targets, such as aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and other devices, at a maximum range of 120 to 150 km. The system can detect and shoot down targets moving at a maximum speed of 2 km/s. An S-350 Vityaz battery consists of a command vehicle, two radars and eight TEL launchers.
In February, a representative of the Almaz-Antey design bureau said that the S-350 Vityaz could be integrated into foreign air defense systems. He emphasized the superior features of the complex, such as increased firepower, high survivability and the ability to carry a large amount of ammunition (four times more than the S-400 system).
Russian military expert Viktor Murakhovsky compared the S-350 complex to the “killer” of the American Tomahawk missile and the European Storm Shadow. The analyst proposed connecting air defense systems such as Prometheus, Vityaz, Pantsir into a solid network to protect Russia.
According to Mr. Murakhovsky, the S-350 is capable of repelling a large air strike. The ammunition reserve of an S-350 battery is at least 144 missiles. The system is capable of tracking 100 targets simultaneously and shooting down several dozen targets at the same time.
Alexander Mikhailov, another Russian military expert, said that the S-350 Vityaz is more accurate than the Patriot missile defense system that the US transferred to Ukraine. He noted that the Vityaz is comparable to the US-made Patriot missile system in terms of its functional characteristics, but its missiles fly faster and are capable of hitting low-flying targets.
“Patriot cannot shoot down targets flying at altitudes below 100 m, while Vityaz can shoot down targets at altitudes of 10 m or more,” Alexander Mikhailov noted.
Hong Anh (Source: VOV Online Newspaper)
Useful
Emotion
Creative
Unique
Source
![[Photo] National Assembly Chairman attends the seminar "Building and operating an international financial center and recommendations for Vietnam"](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/7/28/76393436936e457db31ec84433289f72)
Comment (0)