Combat crews from the Russian Central Military Region’s air defense brigade, rearmed with the newest surface-to-air missile systems Buk-M3, have demonstrated 100% accuracy during a live fire exercise at the Kapustin Yar proving ground in the Astrakhan Region. The 9K317M Buk-M3 crews launched two types of missiles to destroy high-speed maneuverable air defense weapons of a hypothetical enemy. Saman missiles targets were approaching the designated area at a speed of about 1,000 kilometers per hour from different directions and at different altitudes. The air defense crews operating amid intensive radio electronic jamming impeccably coped with their task. Each missile hit the target at a distance of 35-65 kilometers away from the facilities to be protected.
The tactical exercise involving live fire practice will end late September. It was the first for the personnel of the Central Military Region’s air defense brigade since rearmament with new air defense systems Buk-M3. Taking part in the exercise were more than 500 men and 200 pieces of military equipment. Before the exercise, the crews from an air defense brigade relocated from the Altai Region to the Astrakhan Region 4,000 kilometers away, entered combat duty and repelled enemy air raids, for which they carried out more than 100 electronic virtual launches against cyber and real targets: spy planes, fighters, bombers and helicopter gunships of a hypothetical enemy.
The Buk missile system is a family of self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union and its successor state, the Russian Federation, and designed to counter cruise missiles, smart bombs, fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The 9K317M ‘Buk-M3’ (9K37M3) is the latest production version, based on new hardware. It has 36 target channels and features advanced electronic components. Specifications include a maximum target speed of 3,000 m/s (11,000 km/h; 6,700 mph; Mach 8.8), an altitude range of 0.015–35 km (49–114,829 ft) and a distance range of 2.5–70 km (1.6–43.5 mi). It offers increased efficiency against electronic countermeasures and manoeuvring targets.
The 9K317M ‘Buk-M3’ are more compact, increasing the TELAR’s carrying capacity to six missiles. The missile’s new HE-fragmentation warhead can more easily penetrate armor. The complex is highly mobile and designed against air, ground and sea targets (e.g. destroyers). The missile reaches a speed of 1,550 m/s (5,600 km/h; 3,500 mph; Mach 4.6), and manoeuvres by air rudders and reactive rudders. The interval between shots is one second in any direction. Targeting is by commands or active homing, or in combination. Thermal radar works on any target at any time in any weather.
