New Russian Pantsir Combat Vehicle Gains Quadruple Missile Loadout For Anti-Drone Duties

A new variant of the Russian Pantsir air defence combat vehicle heavily optimised to neutralise large swarms of hostile drones has completed development, and is set to equip the Russian Armed Forces as they face growing numbers of enemy unmanned aircraft in the Ukrainian theatre. The new variant, designated the Pantsir-SMD, integrates lighter shorter ranged surface-to-air missiles that are expected to be significantly cheaper to produce, while quadrupling its missile carriage. This appears intended to avoid to of the primary issues faced by air defence systems when facing large numbers of hostile drones, namely the risks of becoming overwhelmed, and the limited cost effectiveness of using guided missiles to target very low cost aircraft. The Pantsir was already considered among the best suited air defence assets for drone defence due to its combination of 57E6M surface-to-air missiles and twin 2A38M 30mm anti-aircraft autocannon, the latter which has reportedly proven highly useful against low value drones during previous engagements in Syria, Libya and Ukraine.

Commenting on the new variant of the Pantsir system, CEO of the Russian defence and technology giant Rostec, Sergey Chemezov, earlier in June reported to President Vladimir Putin: “Well-known Pantsir is an example. Today it is Pantsir-SMD-E, which differs from previous models by mini missiles. The round of munitions has increased four times. Today there are 48 of them instead of 12. It is important for protection against drones as 12 missiles are sometimes insufficient against a massive raid. Forty-eight are much better and the military is very glad.” “They are very effective together with Pantsir. In case of low-signature targets, the information is transmitted directly to the air defence headquarters, which decides on destruction measures,” he added. Following multiple Ukrainian attacks on major Russian cities and military targets using small low cost drones, the Russian Defence Ministry prioritised the development of new systems optimised for countering them. It was thus announced that alongside the Pantsir-SMD, the High Precision Complexes Holding had developed an airspace monitoring system comprised of mini radars that was designed specifically to detect low-signature drones, and thus complemented the new combat vehicle’s capabilities.

Elaborating on how the development of the new Patnsir variant was directly shipped by feedback rom the Armed Forces, Chemezov noted: “We maintain direct contact with servicemen who engage our products. Our repair shops are located close to the frontline and maintain contacts. We take into account all the remarks and constantly upgrade our hardware.” Although the system had already shot down over 100 drones and at least one fighter by the beginning of the 2020s, its use in the Ukrainian theatre has tested it against a new kind of target, namely Western radar evading cruise missiles such as the Storm Shadow, with furhter improvements to the Pantsir’s capabilities having been made based on this frontline experience. Representatives from Rostec’s High Precision Weapons holding previously summarised the enhancements made to the system as follows: “All necessary alterations have been introduced to the Pantsir-S system, making it possible to increase its efficiency against ‘difficult’ projectiles and long-range missiles, including the long-range, low-visibility Storm Shadow cruise missile. The results of its combat use have proven the correctness of previously made design decisions.” The system’s evolution reflecting experience from high intensity combat testing are expected to allow it to continue to gain orders both from the Russian Defence Ministry, and from a range of export clients.