Russian air defense unit of the Eastern Military District receives new Buk-M3 SAM systems
The Ministry of Defense is re-equipping the
35th Air Defense Missile Brigade of the 36th Combined-Arms Army in Ulan-Ude with the latest high-mobility Buk-M3 multifunctional medium-range SAM systems. These systems are designed to intercept complex air targets: enemy UAVs, cruise and theater ballistic missiles, planes and helicopters
According to experts, the emergence of these systems in Eastern Siberia has become a precautionary measure in the event that the situation on the Korean peninsula deteriorates, media outlet Izvestia writes. The Ulan-Ude brigade will become the first battlefield air defense unit in Siberia and the Far East to receive the Buk-M3, a source in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia. Retraining of the SAM crews will start as soon as June. It will be held on the premises of the 106th Army Air Defense Training Center and will last for two months. Thereafter, the brigade will be fully ready to carry out combat missions using new equipment.
Expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia that the Buk-M3 SAM system features many innovative solutions that had not previously been applied in such systems. All of them directly affect both operational and combat characteristics of the system. "Unlike the previous versions, the Buk-M3 missiles are placed on the launcher in transport-launch containers," the expert explained. "This ensures their safety during storage and also improves the combat readiness of the SAM system as a whole. There are certain limits for missile time-on-launcher, the time during which they may be on the march. The use of the container has extended the limits significantly and increased the speed with which the combat crew can reload the SAM system." Another important point, according to Viktor Murakhovsky, is in the global automation of the Buk-M3 control system. According to him, the SAM system has become a robot. It detects and classifies targets and offers a final decision to the crew for their interception. It only remains for the serviceman to choose the one.
The Buk-M3 belongs to the fourth generation of the mobile medium-range SAM systems. Each transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) carries six ready-to-fire missiles rather than four, as the Buk-M2 version does. The 9M317M high-speed missile has received a new seeker. As a result, it is capable of intercepting high-speed air targets at a range of up to 30 km in tail-chase mode or "over the horizon." This makes it possible to direct it onto the target with the aid of the A-50 early warning aircraft, fighter jets or any other reconnaissance aircraft up to unmanned aerial vehicles. The Buk-M3 can simultaneously fire at up to 36 targets flying at speeds of up to 3 km/s at ranges of 2.5 to 70 km and engage them with one missile with a probability of at least 0.95-0.97, Izvestia recalls.
