August 6, 2020 Topic: Security Region: Africa Blog Brand: The Reboot Tags: LibyaAir DefensePantsir S1Khalifa HaftarRussia
Russia’s Newest Air Defense System Doesn't Seem to Work
As the dust settles on the Pantsir S1’s catastrophic month in Libya, it has become abundantly clear that Russia’s new system is not a game changer in terms of SHORAD capabilities.
by Altan A. Ozler
Last month has proven to be catastrophic for the credibility of one of Russia’s most touted air defense systems. The troubles for the Pantsir S1 air defense system in Libya began when Khalifa Haftar’s yearlong Tripoli offensive against the Ankara-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) began to collapse.
Believed to have been supplied to the Libyan strongman as early as last year by his backers in the Gulf, the Russian system was meant to be used as a trump card against Turkey’s combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) air interdiction operations. Yet, after a major GNA counteroffensive last month, and the retaking of the strategic Al-Watiya airbase and key suburbs in Tripoli, it became clear that the system had been trounced. Analysis of open source data has estimated that up to 9 Pantsir units were lost in quick succession to UAV strikes during May, with footage of the strikes going viral on social media. To add insult to injury, a tenth Pantsir system was dramatically captured by GNA forces, and to great fanfare paraded through Tripoli as a war trophy. It is speculated that the captured Pantsir’s final fate is to be picked apart for intelligence purposes.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/russia%E2%80%99s-newest-air-defense-system-doesnt-seem-work-166303
