Click to see full-size image. By Wikimedia user (Zumlik)
The Russian S-350 Vityaz medium-range air defense system has shot down a target over the special military operation zone in Ukraine in fully-automatic mode for the first time ever, RIA Novosti reported on May 24.
The target was apparently a Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force that the Russian Ministry of Defense said on the same day it was shot down over the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
RIA Novosti said that the combat crew did not interfere with the operation of the S-350 system, but carefully monitored its functioning as it detected, tracked and engaged the target. This highlights the high level of confidence in the system’s fully-automated mode, which relies on artificial intelligence.
The S-350 was developed by Russia’s defense giant Almaz-Antey to engage all types of aerial targets, including fighter jets, helicopters, drones, ballistic and cruise missiles.
The heart of the air defense system is the 50N6A multifunctional 3D, X-band radar, which has a detection range of up to 400 kilometers. The radar can detect and track up to 40 targets simultaneously and engage eight of them at the same time.
The S-350 can fire the radar-guided 9M96M missile with a range of 120 kilometers and altitude of 30 kilometers and the smaller infrared-guided 9M100, which has a range of 15 kilometers and altitude of eight kilometers.
A typical S-350 battery consists of a 50N6A radar, a 50K6A mobile command post and up to eight 50P6 launch vehicles, each of which can be armed with a mix of 9M96M and 9M100 missiles.
The S-350, which has proven its worth in the special military operation zone, is expected to replace older S-300 air defense systems currently in service with the Russian military. Deliveries of the system began in 2020. It is unknown how many systems are operational today.
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