Thread by @ChungTzuW

(1/25) Today, let's look at the S-300V.

(2/25) The S-300V story began in 1962, when the US Army began fielding the nuclear-armed MGM-31 Pershing tactical ballistic missile (TBM). With a range of 740 km, it represented a substantial threat towards the Soviet Ground Forces (Сухопутные войска — SV).

(3/25) The 1960s SV's primary long-range SAM, the 2K11 Krug ('Circle') complex, simply did not have the ability to intercept TBMs. Thus, this capability became a central point of the SV's requirements for a successor to the Krug, which eventually became the S-300V.

(4/25) It's not really possible to talk about the SV's S-300V without also mentioning the PVO (Air Defence Force)'s S-300P and VMF (Navy)'s S-300F. Originally, all three were to use the same V-500 missiles developed by Grushin as a unified S-300 system.

(5/25) As often happens with these kinds of 'unified' projects, conflicting requirements eventually led to effectively two completely different SAM systems under the same S-300 name. Efremov would handle the S-300V, Grushin and Bunkin the S-300P/F.

(6/25) To cut a very long story short, it took a lot of time (and swearing) before the S-300s began entering service in the 1980s, about 20 years after development was first ordered in 1966. If you want to know more, read this book:

(7/25) The S-300V would end up using two different missiles. The smaller 9M83 was intended for use against aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-ranged TBMs such as the Lance (right), while the larger and faster 9M82 dealt with longer-ranged TBMs like the Pershing.

(8/25) Due to delays with the 9M82, the S-300V was first put into service in 1983 using only the 9M83. This system is also sometimes called 'S-300V1', and it is this version that Ukraine currently operates.

(9/25) The one that most people will be familiar with is the 9A83 TELAR. It carries up to 4 vertically launched 9M83 missiles. When deployed, the 9S749 radar is erected on a mast to provide a better view against low-altitude threats like cruise missiles.

(10/25) The 9M83 can employ inertial or command-inertial midcourse guidance, before switching to terminal semi-active radar homing on reflected continuous waves from the TELAR's 9S749 radar using the 9E49 homing head.
ausairpower.net/APA-Giant-Glad…

(11/25) Dr. Kopp of AusAirPower speculated that the terminal SARH algorithm uses proportional navigation with a lead bias. In fact, he is correct, and it uses P-nav with lead bias for all stages of guidance, as confirmed by a paper from Almaz-Antey.
journal.almaz-antey.ru/jour/article/v…

(12/25) It takes 45 s to deploy the 9A83 TELAR, 15 s to arm a missile for launch, and the maximum time of flight is 70 s. If it does not encounter a target during that time or misses its target, the missile will self-destruct.

(13/25) The 9M83 has a directional fragmentation warhead weighing 150 kg, with 47 kg of shrapnel.

(14/25) All vehicles of the S-300V family use the GM-830 tracked chassis series. It was developed by Spetsmash in Leningrad and is very similar to the 2S7 Pion's chassis. The difference is that the engine and transmission on the S-300V vehicles are rear-mounted instead.

(15/25) They use suspension elements from the T-80 and the 840 hp V-84 V-12 engine and transmission of the T-72.

(16/25) The S-300V1 complex includes the 9S15 Obzor-3 ('Review') and 9S32 fire control radar. With the introduction of the 9M82 ABM in 1988 came the 9S19 Imbir ('Ginger') radar, optimised for tracking ballistic missiles. I recommend reading this:
ausairpower.net/APA-Russian-SA…

(17/25) The 9M82 came with its own TELAR, the 9A82. It can only carry 2 missiles and has its own illumination radar (9V746). Because TBMs don't fly at treetop height, there was no need for a mast like on the 9A83.

(18/25) Both the 9M82 and 9M83 are cold-launched.

i.imgur.com/2mwQUU9.mp4

(19/25) The entire S-300V unit is controlled by a 9S457 command vehicle (KP). It is capable of controlling multiple 9K81 batteries.

(20/25) Ukraine inherited 2 brigades worth of S-300Vs from the USSR, but had disbanded both by 2014. They were soon reactivated after the Donbas War, but only the 9M83 has been seen in use.

(21/25) The only Ukrainian unit known to use the S-300V is the 201st SAM Brigade.
uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/201-%D1%8…

(22/25) Russia of course remains the biggest user of the S-300V. These have mostly been upgraded to S-300V4 standard.

(23/25) For both Russia and Ukraine, these are among the most capable SAMs they can field. The Russian ones have some edge in terms of being more modernised than the Ukrainian ones.

(24/25) I do not know how well either side's S-300Vs are faring. I do know the Russians somehow managed to lose some TELARs/TELs to a GMLRS recently. I'd guess they were trying to intercept Ukrainian Storm Shadows/SCALP-EG launch platforms.

(25/25) Honestly, as much as I like this system, I don't think either side is really able to use it to its full potential for various circumstantial reasons. Undoubtedly, they remain a significant threat to either side's aircraft, however.

(26/25) Forgot to mention that the 9A83 and 9A82 TELARs are also accompanied by 9A85 and 9A84 transloaders. These have a crane to assist loading and can also be used as TELs. However, they require illumination from a TELAR as they have no radar.

(27/25) Defence zones against various targets.

(28/25) This Voennoe Delo episode on the S-300V from the early 2000s has an interview with Efremov (he died in 2006).