The Russian Armed Forces have once again deployed Pantsir short-range anti-aircraft systems in the vicinity of Moscow. This time, the systems were placed on metal towers or earth mounds to increase their efficiency. They should help improve the defense of the capital against Ukrainian drone attacks.
Pantsir in Moscow
On January 6, 2023, the Russian Armed Forces deployed several anti-aircraft systems Pantsir on the roofs of several Moscow buildings and strategic locations in the Russian capital. If no anti-aircraft defense is 100% effective, Moscow’s anti-aircraft defense has proven to be very ineffective: images of drone attacks on the Russian capital show very little Pantsir activity. The Russian press goes even further, announcing numerous Ukrainian drones shot down following jamming of their GPS signal.
A (re)deployment
Images published on social networks on September 3 appear to show that the Russian authorities are once again deploying Pantsir, this time around Moscow. However, the Pantsir are not deployed on the ground:
- an image shows a Pantsir deployed from a platform located on a metal tower about ten meters high (estimate). The tower in question includes a staircase, allowing staff serving the vehicle to be relieved. However, it was transported to the platform using a crane.
- mounds of earth were also erected, with concrete slabs, allowing a Pantsir to climb directly, without having to mobilize a crane. However, these mounds seem lower than the metal tower.
Concretely, these installations should make it possible to increase the effectiveness of the Pantsir S1 radar: the curvature of the earth, trees, buildings, high buildings, forests, mountains, etc. reduce the effective range of the radar. Raising the latter allows better “practical” coverage of the “official” range of the radar (technical information at the end of the article).
