S-350E Vityaz (50R6) (2024)

The S-350E Vityaz (Knight) is a short-to-mid range air defense missile system intended to provide point defense against aircraft and precision attacks. The Vityaz system comprises a self-propelled launcher, an all-aspect radar with electronic space scanning, and a command post. The SAM, which is mounted on the special wheeled chassis BAZ-69092-012, can be put on alert in less than five minutes. The system is capable of simultaneously engaging 16 aerodynamic targets and 12 ballistic ones.

The S-350 missile system is equipped with the 9M96 and the 9M100 medium and short-range missiles, which are fired via a so-called "cold" vertical launch. When fired, a launch container throws a missile to an altitude of more than 30 meters, turning it towards a target with the help of a gas-dynamic system. The Vityaz system is capable of destroying aerodynamic targets within the range of up to 120 km (74 miles) and at an altitude of up to 30 km (18 miles). As far as ballistic targets are concerned, the figures stand at 30 km and 25 km (15 miles), respectively.

The missile for the Vityaz 50R6 the 9M96 originally designed for the S-400 system. This missile is intended for self-defence at a range of up to 15 km and features passive IR homing guidance. The 9M96 is a dual-role anti-missile and anti-aircraft missile. The smaller 9M100 missile can be also used against aircraft, UAVs and cruise missiles. The 9M100 is a short-range, IR-guided missile that has been mentioned as both a SAM and an AAM. The 9M96E missile are ‘hit-to-kill’ designed for direct impact, and use canards and thrust vectoring to achieve extremely high G and angular rate capability. An inertial package is used with a datalink from the MFMTR X-band radar for midcourse guidance, with a radar homing seeker of an undisclosed type. The small 24kg blast fragmentation warhead is designed to produce a controlled fragment pattern, using multiple initiators to shape the detonation wave through the explosive. A smart radar fuse is used to control the warhead timing and pattern.

The S-350 Vityaz missiles are more maneuverable and boast self-homing warheads of a new generation.” The 9M96E missile are ‘hit-to-kill’ designed for direct impact, and use canards and thrust vectoring to achieve extremely high G and angular rate capability. The key factor determining the effectiveness of the new system is its ability to simultaneously reflect attacks of different types of air threats from any direction, at all altitudes of flight, in all weather conditions, day and night and in difficult noise conditions. This is achieved through the use of a fundamentally new information tool - a multifunction radar. This feature is used in domestic air defense missile systems for the first time. In addition, the S-350E has high mobility and survivability. It takes only five minutes to bring the system on alert.

All products are available on truck chassis with high cross, manufactured at the Bryansk factory of wheel tractors. Serial production of the complex will be in the North-West Regional Center of Concern PVO "Almaz-Antey", in particular the State Obukhov factory and the factory radio equipment.

According to the stated performance characteristics, it is superior to foreign counterparts and should replace a number of S-300 technological systems of obsolete Soviet-made modifications, as well as Buk anti-aircraft missile systems, partially. The vertical launcher of the Vityaz in combination with a powerful circular view multi-function radar allows the system to efficiently repel attacks from any direction, which distinguishes it from its competitors with inclined launchers (including the US air defense system Patriot). Owing to the upgraded design of the system and the use of advanced 9M96 missiles, the ammunition has increased dramatically: one launcher has 12 missiles instead of 4.

As indicated in the specifications of the new system, the S-350E is designed to protect objects from the massive strikes of current and future air threats, including those made by "stealth" technology, as well as tactical and operational-tactical ballistic missiles. The S-350E can operate autonomously, leading independent combat operations, as well as a part of air defense groups under the control of the higher command posts.

Each S-350E Vityaz system consists of three 50P6 launcher trucks, a 50K6 command and control vehicle, and 50K6E command post. The basic missile can load 48 weapons per battery. The 50P6E launcher is designed for the transportation, storage, automatic prelaunch and launch surface-to-air missiles. Multifunction radar 50N6E multifunction radar is the main information tool of S-350E and operates in a circular and sectoral conditions. Fighting the multifunction radar is being completely indifferent operator automatically by remote control from the point of command and control. The 50K6E battle management command and control point for managing multi-function radars and launchers. Command and control office provides interoperability with the neighboring S-350E and higher command post. The total number of tracked targets is 200. The maximum distance to the command and control points adjacent S-350E - 15 km. the maximum distance to a higher command post is 30 km.

Moscow-based military expert Alexander Mikhailov told Russian media in May 2023 that despite the fact that the Vityaz can be compared to the US-made Patriot air defense system in terms of performance characteristics, S-350 missiles move faster and are capable of hitting low-flying targets.Namely, he explained, the Vityaz can engage the targets flying at an altitude of ten meters, while the Patriot is unable to shoot down objects moving lower than 100 meters.

Another Moscow-based military expert, Yury Knutov, was cited by Russian news outlets in May 2023 as praising the SAM's ammunition capacity. According to him, just one Vityaz battalion is enough to repel a massive enemy air raid. On the whole, the S-350 Vityaz has great potential in terns of upgrading, given that it was created on the basis of "open architecture," according to him. "In the future, the system can be improved by means of replacing certain components. This will significantly increase the SAM's technical capabilities and combat performance. The S-350 is a breakthrough and unique system that only Russia has," Knutov concluded.