The destroyed air defense system S-350 “Vityaz” may have been the only surface-to-air missile system of its kind that recently entered service with the Russian Armed Forces.
S-350 „Vityaz“ (English name: “Knight”). Image credit: Zumlik via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
According to unofficial data, the invading army planned to receive 12 such weapons by 2027.
The latest anti-aircraft missile complex S-350 “Vityaz” was destroyed in the Kherson region by the fighters of the 11th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. They managed to achieve this objective with the help of an FPV drone.
The news was announced by a Ukrainian volunteer and social activist Serhiy Sternenko on Telegram.
“Absolute record for destroyed target with an FPV drone!” he wrote in his post.
🔥BREAKING🔥
🇷🇺RUSSIAN AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM S-350 «Vityaz» WAS DESTROYED BY FPV KAMIKAZE DRONE
IT IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS DESTROYED BY FPV DRONE🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/oZV52wLIzF
— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) December 6, 2023
He also noted that the launcher was completely destroyed and another vehicle was damaged. The official export price of the S-350 platform starts from 135 million dollars.
The S-350 “Vityaz” air defense system is a new-generation medium-range anti-aircraft missile launcher platform.
“This is the most expensive target ever destroyed by an FPV drone. Previously, the record was the Tor anti-aircraft missile system for $24 million,” Sternenko emphasized.
According to the volunteer, the price is not the most important thing, because this may be the only complex that the enemy has put into operation, and there are possibly no other similar platforms, at least not in a finalized state.
Written by Alius Noreika