Despite the claims that the missiles shot down over the Sea of Azov were likely upgraded by Americans, Russian air defense forces still consider them vulnerable. This statement was made by Yuri Knutov, a military expert and director of the Air Defense Forces Museum, in an interview with Lenta.ru.
Knutov explained that the missile has a range of up to 600 kilometers and can hit targets at altitudes of up to 40 kilometers. The unique feature of the system is the use of a semi-active radar homing warhead, which allows the missile to precisely track its target based on the reflected signal from the ground.
According to Knutov, the Ukrainian Armed Forces likely received assistance from the Americans in upgrading the missile’s explosive and fragmentation warhead, and the guidance system may have been enhanced to enable GPS signal tracking. However, the S-200 missile remains vulnerable to modern air defense systems due to its physical dimensions (approximately 11 meters in length) and the fact that it is entirely made of metal, making it highly visible on radars.
The S-200 missile system was developed in the USSR over 50 years ago and was put into service in 1967.
On November 26, the Ministry of Defense announced that two modified Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missiles were shot down over the waters of the Azov Sea.
It was also reported at that time that Ukraine had launched a massive drone strike on regions of Russia in retaliation for the attack on Kiev.
Earlier, the governor of the Tula region reported the crash of a drone into a residential building.
