The S-350 Vityaz () is a Russian medium-range

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

system developed by GSKB Almaz-Antey. Its purpose is to replace the S-300PS. The system design traces its roots from the joint South Korean-Russian

KM-SAM The KM-SAM (Korean Medium-range Surface-to-Air Missile; Skybolt; ), or simply M-SAM, is a South Korean medium range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system that was developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) with technical support from Al ...

project and uses the same 9M96 missile as the

S-400 missile system The S-400 Triumf ( – Triumf; translation: Triumph; NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is a mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the 1990s by Russia's NPO Almaz as an upgrade to the S ...

Development

The first studies that would eventually become the S-350 started in 1999. Development began in earnest only in 2007. Almaz-Antey was able to leverage the experience gained while working on the joint development of the

with

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Around 2011, development slowed down, probably due to failed missile tests. The S-350 was unveiled in 2013, and presented at that year's MAKS airshow. Initial plans called for the system's test phase to end in the autumn of 2013, and for the delivery of around 30 systems by 2020. However, the first deliveries of the S-350 only took place in 2019, and it only entered service in February 2020.

Design

The S-350 ''Vityaz'' air defense system consists of several vehicles: * 1–2 50N6A multifunctional passively electronically scanned array radar stations. 360° coverage for early detection, target illumination and missile guidance. * 1 50K6A command post, fully autonomous combat work with interaction with other remote systems. * 4–8 50P6 launchers (12–9M96 missiles). ** 9M96/9M96E(E2) guided missiles; passive guidance and other missiles with active homing guidance. range, aerodynamic control surfaces and thrust vectoring. ** 9M100 guided missiles; range; infrared passive homing; aerodynamic control surfaces and thrust vectoring; maximum maneuver 60 G-20 surfaces. 9M100 can be quad packed in the naval version. Basic performance characteristics of the S-350: *Maximum number of simultaneously engaged targets: ** Aerodynamic – 16 ** Ballistic – 12 *Maximum number of simultaneously induced missiles – 32 *Affected area for aerodynamic targets: ** Range – ** Height – 10 m- *Affected area of ballistic targets: ** Range – ** Height – *Deployment time – 5 minutes All vehicles are based on a

Bryansky Avtomobilny Zavod Bryansk Automobile Plant (BAZ; ) is a Russian manufacturer of military vehicles based in Bryansk, Russia. It was established in 1958 as a subsidiary of ZiL. It is one of the leading Russian military equipment manufacturers. It also produces of ...

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

( BAZ-6909 & BAZ-69092). The naval version with 9M96E guided missile which passed state tests in 2018 is the Redut. The export variant of the Redut was named Resurs (''Resource'').

Missiles

Deployment

In September 2017, the S-350 missile system was reportedly deployed in the town of Masyaf in Hama province, Syria, delivered from Russia via the Tartus port. The first launches, made on March 26, 2019, were positive and the air defense missile system successfully passed state tests. In late December 2019, at

Kapustin Yar Kapustin Yar () is a Russian military training area and a rocket launch complex in Astrakhan Oblast, about 100 km east of Volgograd. It was established by the Soviet Union on 13 May 1946. In the beginning, Kapustin Yar used technology, material ...

, the S-350 was officially handed over to the

Russian Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The Minister of Defence exerci ...

. The handover involved tracking of aerodynamic targets. In February 2020, the S-350 Vityaz was officially commissioned into the service of the old

Russian Aerospace Defence Forces The Russian Aerospace Defence Forces (VVKO) () was a branch of the Russian Armed Forces responsible for aerospace defence, operation of Russian military satellites and the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. It was established on 1 December 2011 and dissolved ...

now merged in to the new

Russian Aerospace Forces The Russian Aerospace Forces or Russian Air and Space Forces (VKS) comprise the air force, aerial, space force, space warfare, and Missile defense, missile defence Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It was ...

as the new missile system had been delivered to

Zhukov Air and Space Defense Academy The Zhukov Air and Space Defence Academy () is a Russian military academy located on the banks of the Volga River in Tver (formerly Kalinin). The academy, formed in 1956, is named after Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov. It was one of the main educat ...

to train crews for the equipment. The Almaz-Antey Group and the Defense Ministry of Russia signed contracts for the delivery of four sets of S-350 "Vityaz" and three regiments of S-400 "Triumf" in June 2020. Deliveries started in 2021. The S-350 is used in the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Ship classes that use the Redut Naval Air Defense System

Steregushchiy-class corvette The ''Steregushchiy'' class (), Russian designation Project 20380, is a ship class, class of corvettes being built for the Russian Navy. Designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau, subsequent vessels were built to an improved design (Pr ...

Gremyashchiy-class corvette The ''Gremyashchiy'' class (), Russian designation Project 20385, is an update of the s of the Russian Navy at a cost of 150 million $. This follow-on project was designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau in Saint Petersburg. The first ...

Project 20386 corvette Project 20386 is Russia's newest class of corvettes being constructed by Severnaya Verf for the Russian Navy. Based on the and classes, the new class was to have been larger, incorporating a more stealthy design. As originally conceived, there ...

* Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate On 18 February 2025, video (no link in source?) was released of Ukrainian drones, in Donetsk, destroying a S-350 missile system, believed to be the third of the war so far destroyed. Only six are known to be in service.

Operators

Gallery

File:50P6E - MAKS2013firstpix03.jpg, 50K6E command post File:MAKS2013firstpix04.jpg, 50N6E multifunctional radar

References

External links

*
The first tests of the latest air defense system 50R6 “Vityaz” will be carried out in autumn
Russian Aviation, February 11, 2013

* * S-350E "Hero" / C-350E "Vityaz" Anti-Aircraft Missile System'' {{Russian and Soviet missiles, SAM Post–Cold War weapons of Russia Surface-to-air missiles of Russia Missile defense Naval surface-to-air missiles Almaz-Antey products 21st-century surface-to-air missiles Military equipment introduced in the 2010s