The S-300 is a Russian long-range air defense system produced by NPO Almaz.
The S-300 system was first deployed by the Soviet Union in 1979 since then many variants
of the system have been produced.
The S-300 is actually considered to be one of the most lethal operational air defense
systems in the world.
The system is designed to protect important areas like military bases, and administrative
buildings against aerial threats like fighter jets, bomber aircraft, cruise missiles, and
drones.
The system has been one of the most critical assets for Russia in the ongoing conflict
in Ukraine.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how the Russian S-300 managed to destroy itself?
Let's get into the details.
As evident, the missile malfunctioned after lunch and went
down on itself.
The footage is thought to be of the S-300 complex deployed in Latakia, Syria.
Some reports suggest it was attempting to intercept an American drone.
Interestingly, information indicates that some S-300 batteries are being shifted from
Syria to Ukraine since Russian assets are coming under increasing aerial attacks.
This is not the only instance.
Recently in Ukraine, a Buk anti-aircraft missile system that was carrying out a strike on an
unknown airborne target had a major failure which saw the missile striking its own system.
Footage of the incident had gone viral on various social media platforms.
According to preliminary data, the incident occurred in Alchevsk in the Luhansk Oblast
region.
Malfunction of equipment is not very unusual but this is catastrophic.
While the vertical launch has the advantage that the missile can cover a 360 degrees envelope,
the problem is that if the main rocket motor fails to fire, it can destroy the whole system.
So, it is critical to make sure that missiles have very strict quality control.
It is important to note that the S-300 also uses multiple types of missiles to target
different kinds of threats.
For example, the 9M82 missile has a range of 100 km or 62 miles with a speed of Mach
7.5 whereas 48N6E2 missile has a range of 195 km or 120 miles and a speed of Mach 6.
Quality Control and maintenance is not a high point of the Russian military and they must
be more thorough.