50R6 Vityaz (S-350E)

History

With the advent of faster, higher-flying American bombers and spy planes in the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet air defense network was forced to develop countermeasures against the growing threat. Over time, artillery-based weapons gave way to missile-based solutions, and the development of these Soviet designs proved significant throughout the Cold War. In the years after the fall of the Soviet empire, the Russian military languished under questionable leadership and improper funding. Today, however, that trend has reversed, and Russia is back on the world stage, striving to become the world's leading military power once again.

The development of increasingly powerful surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems has been key to continued expansion.

The 50R6 "Vityaz" (also known as "S-350E") is a ground-to-air system containing a multi-function AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) based radar system with an integrated command post and carrier unit. At the heart of the system is the 9M96 surface-to-air missile, which can have passive and homing guidance. The Vityaz can engage multiple air targets at medium range and exit its launch tube in seconds. The missiles are housed in twelve large tubes housed in launcher packs at the rear of the chassis of the BZKT heavy-duty 8x8 wheeled military truck. Built by Bryansky Avtomobilny Zavod, the trucks are equipped with diesel engines, forward cabs and all-wheel drive.

The missiles were developed by the state MKB Fakel, while the in-house development of the entire Vityaz system was carried out under the GSKB Almaz-Antey in Moscow. Manufacturing of the system has been ongoing since 2015 and is attached to the Northwest Regional Center of Almaz-Antey.

The 50R6 series is intended as a successor to the S-300 (NATO: SA-10 "Grumble") self-propelled SAM vehicle series that debuted in the late 1970s. The first deliveries of the new model to the Russian Army stockpile are expected sometime in 2016, with initial operational capability expected around 2020.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

12 x 9M96 Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM).

Changes