On April 8, President Biden said that the United States would deploy a Patriot missile defense system to Slovakia. According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Patriot will be manned by U.S. military personnel; Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the deployment would be temporary. This deployment comes after Slovakia recently gave Ukraine an S-300...
On November 1, Russia concluded a large-scale air and missile defense exercise at a range in the country’s Astrakhan region. In a release, Russia’s Ministry of Defense stated the drills involved over 1,000 servicemembers and over 300 pieces of military hardware, including the S-400V4, Buk-M3, and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile systems. During the drills, air defense...
The combined use of drones, artillery, and missiles in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh offers critical insight into the conduct of future wars.
On December 1, Russia announced it had deployed S-300V4 air defense systems to disputed islands claimed by Japan. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said the S-300s were positioned on the island of Iturup, part of what Russia calls the Southern Kuril Islands and what Japan calls the Northern Territories. Russia seized the island chain towards the...
On February 4, Russia’s Central Military District reported the successful conclusion of air defense exercises in the Urals, Siberia, and Volga region. In the drills, S-300 and S-400 systems repelled notional aerial targets represented by MiG-31 fighters and Army Mi-8 helicopters. The S-300 and S-400 are a family of Russian air defense systems which entered...
Baghdad has resumed talks with Russia on acquiring S-300 or S-400 air defense systems, Iraqi officials have confirmed. According to Karim Elaiwi, an Iraqi lawmaker and defense committee member, Iraq’s security and defense committee reinitiated discussions started in May over an S-400 purchase. Iraq’s Ambassador to Iran, Saad Jawad Qandil, separately confirmed that the country...
On November 22, Iran’s military completed an air and missile defense exercise in the country’s central region, designated “Guardians of Velayat Sky-98.” According to Iranian state media, the drills tested Iran’s Khordad 15, Talash, and Mersad air and missile defense systems. Further imagery suggests that the drills also included Iran’s Russian-made S-300 air defense system....
On August 21, Iran officially inducted the Bavar-373 surface-to-air missile system into service. Speaking at the National Day of the Defense Industry ceremony, Iranian officials stated that the weapons system could track up to 60 targets and possessed a maximum engagement range of 250 km. A Bavar-373 battery is typically comprised of 6 launchers, an...
On April 13, Israel’s Air Force used the Rampage air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) in combat for the first time, according to defense analyst Babak Taghvaee. The IAF fired Rampage missiles from F-16 aircraft to target a rocket production and storage facility in Masyaf, Syria. Imagery released by the geospatial intelligence firm ImageSat International shows the...
On September 24, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia will deliver an unspecified number of S-300 air defense systems to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces within the next two weeks. The decision follows a friendly fire air accident on September 17 during which Russian-supplied S-200s in Syria failed to discriminate a Russian reconnaissance...
