The news agency Anna News reported that the newest Ptitselov air defense missile system will go into service with the Russian Airborne Forces 98th and 106th Guards Airborne Divisions. Ptitselov consists of the chassis of a mechanized infantry combat vehicle armed with 12 Sosna-R air defense missiles. They can be parachuted from transport aircraft and have a max range of 10km and can counter UAVs. The VDV’s version of the Ptitselov is based on a BMD-4M infantry fighting vehicle chassis, whereas the Ground Forces variant will be based on a BMP-3 Infantry fighting vehicle chassis.
The BMD-4 (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta-4, Airborne Combat Vehicle 4) is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) originating from post-Cold War Russia. Originally designated as the BMD-3M, the chassis of the BMD-4 is the same as that of the BMD-3 because it was developed on the same basis. This armored fighting vehicle is one of the lightest in its class, possessing a substantial amount of firepower. The vehicle was designed to transport Russian Airborne Troops; increasing its mobility, armament, and protection on the battlefield. Many components of the vehicle, such as the ergonomics and positioning of the passengers, remain relatively unchanged.
The 9M337 Sosna-R (Pine) (SA-X-25) is a Russian radar and laser-guided supersonic (Mach 2.6) two-stage missile. It is used in the Sosna-R short-range air defense missile system designed to protect military units from air attacks in all types of combat situations, including during march. The system is armed with 12 9M340 missiles that are held in their transport-launch containers and arranged in two banks of six. Sosna-R hyper-velocity beam rider 38 kg missiles are two-stage, capable of destroying aircraft, helicopters, missiles, cruise missiles, aerial bombs, small-sized air attack weapons including elements of high-precision weapons and light armored vehicles.
The Russian Airborne Forces or VDV (Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii) is a separate troops branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. First formed before World War II, the force undertook two significant airborne operations and a number of smaller jumps during the war and for many years after 1945 was the largest airborne force in the world. The Russian Airborne Forces are well known for their mobility, utilizing a large amount of specifically designed vehicles built for airborne transport, as such, they are fully mechanized and traditionally have a larger complement of heavy weaponry than most contemporary airborne forces.