The footage shows one of Russia’s most modern air defense systems, which specially developed for capturing small, aggressively maneuverable targets“collides” with a Ukrainian drone – probably commercially available relatively cheaply -.
Due to the distance, it cannot be clearly established that the Tor-M1 air defense missile system introduced in 1991 or the later 2007 version attacks the drone. Basically, both systems were able to show 100 percent test results in their time, even though the targets were still small-sized, high-speed missiles.
Footage of a Russian Tor SAM system attempting to engage a Ukrainian quadcopter, with a close miss. pic.twitter.com/pJi27QXZzI
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 14, 2023
HOWEVER, IT CAN BE CLEARLY SEEN IN THE VIDEO, ALTHOUGH THE UKRAINIAN DRONE REMAINS STILL, THE SMALL TARGET DOESN’T AVOID THE INTERCEPTION MISSILE.
Although these missiles have proximity detonators, this is not the first time they have failed to activate near a drone. It is not possible to know whether the missile’s detonator specifically did not work, or whether it simply “did not detect” the drone.
The rarely seen scene sheds light on one of the great innovations of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the large-scale and effective deployment of drones, which are often commercially available. Inexpensive, small-sized, heavy target drones are excellent for reconnaissance, artillery target guidance or even independent strike measurement, therefore, both sides like to use it, while even the most modern air defense systems are in most cases unable to adequately respond to the threat posed by drones.
The cover image is an illustration. Source of cover image: Wikimedia Commons
