Russian S-300 missile systems spotted at US testing range
A military enthusiast who goes by the name of Ivan O’Gilvi on Twitter recently published a satellite photo which supposedly shows a Russian S-300 aerial defense system at an American testing ground.
On the photograph, O’Gilvi identified two 5P85PT launchers mounted on semitrailers and a 30N6 fire control system consisting of a mobile command point and trailer with a radar antenna.
According to Defence Blog, the US Air Force frequently uses Russian-made aerial defense systems in its drills. The use of stylized or actual combat anti-air systems supposedly adds an element of realism to the exercises.
The S-300 “Favorite” (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a family of Soviet-era surface-to-air missile systems that can destroy airborne targets at a range of between 75-200 km, depending on the type of interceptor missile used. The system is designed to protect major industrial and administrative facilities, military bases and control points against enemy air attacks. It can intercept both ballistic and aerodynamic targets.
Development of the system began in 1975, and the first S-300 regiment was activated in 1979. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the systems have ended up in the arsenals of several countries, including Belarus and Ukraine.