Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems repel enemy air strike in Tajikistan drills

S-300 air defense systems

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/: The combat teams of Russian S-300PS anti-aircraft missile systems repelled an attack by a notional enemy’s sole and multiple air targets during drills in Tajikistan, the press office of Russia’s Central Military District reported on Monday.

"During the drills at the Lyaur practice range for the region’s air defense, the quick reaction alert forces detected approaching unidentified air objects. In the complex electronic warfare environment, the teams of the air defense battalion conducted electronic missile launches against air objects that simulated the hypothetical enemy’s sole and multiple targets at various altitudes and with various speed characteristics," the press office said in a statement.

The control of air defense capabilities was exercised from the command post using the R-149AKSh command and staff vehicle based on the Kamaz truck, the statement says.

"During the drills, the personnel also practiced the procedures within the required time limits for reloading S-300PS systems with missiles, while security and defense units sharpened their skills of repelling the notional enemy’s subversion and reconnaissance groups on combat positions," the press office specified.

A battalion set of S-300PS anti-aircraft missile systems arrived for the Russian troops stationed in Tajikistan in October 2019. The systems are designated to shield the facilities of Russia’s 201st military base in Tajikistan against aerospace weapons and provide for the air defense of the Central Asian collective security region.

The battalion consists of about 30 items of military hardware, including the command post, launchers, a radar station, guidance systems and support vehicles.

The 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan is Russia’s largest military facility outside its borders. The military base is located in the cities of Dushanbe and Bokhtar. The military base’s armament includes T-72 tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Grad multiple launch rocket systems, Gvozdika and Akatsiya artillery systems.

Under an agreement signed in October 2012, Russia’s military base in Tajikistan will remain until 2042.