Ukrainian Navy Hits Russian Pantsir-S1 with Drone
6 January, 2025 Russian Pantsir-S1 SAM system in the sights of an FPV drone, January 2024. Photo: Commander of the Ukrainian Navy The operators of the Navy's attack drones hit a Russian Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system in the Kherson region.
The footage of the attack was posted on social media by the Commander of the Ukrainian Navy. The enemy anti-aircraft gun system was hit while it was on duty at a firing position, as evidenced by the working onboard radar station in the stern of the vehicle. It is unlikely that an FPV drone strike could have caused the vehicle's instant destruction, but it does not rule out critical damage and loss due to fire.
The drone struck the cockpit with the anti-aircraft system operators, which could have resulted in crew casualties if the armor had been penetrated. The Pantsir-S1's operator compartment is armored and can protect against debris and small arms fire.
However, in the event of a hit from a high-explosive munition, which is often used by drones, the protection is not effective.
The operators' compartment of a Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile system. Photo: Drive2
Until the strike, the anti-aircraft system did not react to the drone's approach, which may indicate the system's limited potential against small drones such as copters. The drone attacks on Pantsir have been reported before.
In particular, two vehicles were hit in January last year with Warmate loitering munitions. In both cases, the fact that the system was not a mock-up was also evidenced by the characteristic marks on the ground from the constant movement of the equipment.
Traces of the Russian Pantsir-S1 system in the Belgorod region.
June, 2024. Russia. Photo: Dnipro telegram group
To date, the destruction of such systems is quite rare, as most of them have been withdrawn from the front line to the rear areas of the occupied territories and Russia to cover important facilities.
The last known damage to the Pantsir complex was recorded in August last year.
Back then, thanks to the soldiers of the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion, an anti-aircraft system was discovered and destroyed in the Kherson region.
In total, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Oryx monitoring project has documented 27 lost systems of this type, of which 22 were completely destroyed, three were damaged, and two were captured by the Ukrainian military.