Russia’s Pantsyr-S anti-aircraft missile/gun system has received the latest hypersonic missile, Chief Designer for Air Defense Systems at the Shipunov Design Bureau of Instrument-Making (part of High Precision Systems Company within the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) Valery Slugin told TASS on Wednesday.
“There are two missiles that fight the entire range of targets. One is standard while the other has been developed recently and is hypersonic: it can develop a speed of Mach 5 and more,” the chief designer said.
The new missile approaches the target more quickly, which increases the system’s rate of fire because the firing channel is freed faster, he said.
“Besides, there is no need to load a large amount of explosives into the missile’s warhead for the fragments’ dispersal: the higher the impact speed, the greater the fragments’ efficiency,” the chief designer added.
The Pantsyr’s missiles are not outfitted with homing warheads for its range capability as all the tasks can be solved using the system of the missile’s remote control from a combat vehicle, he noted.
The Pantsyr-S1 (NATO reporting name: SA-22 Greyhound) is a ground-based self-propelled surface-to-air missile/gun system designated to shield military and civilian facilities, including long-range air defense systems, from all modern and future air attack weapons. The Pantsyr consists of 12 surface-to-air missiles (six missiles in two transport and launch containers each).
The Pantsyr is also armed with two 30mm guns, each of which is capable of firing up to 40 rounds per second.
