Ukrainian forces have purportedly scored a significant battlefield win by obliterating one of Russia’s most advanced surface-to-air missile systems, the prized S-350 Vityaz. The victory comes as the US and Russia are holding talks in Saudi Arabia to end the grinding three-year-old conflict.
The S-350 air defense system, deployed sparingly in the ongoing Ukraine war, was allegedly destroyed in the Donetsk region, which has been a scene of fierce fighting for months. A video of the strike was released by the Black Forest, an artillery reconnaissance brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“Thanks to the skilled actions of the reconnaissance troops of the Chornyi Lis artillery reconnaissance brigade, we were able to detect and destroy the latest Russian S-350 Vityaz medium- and short-range surface-to-air missile system,” the brigade said in a statement announcing the big achievement.
Recorded from a drone and published with a dramatic background score, the video starts by showing a column of Russian vehicles. Then, it focuses on what appears to be a 350 transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) vehicle, which is seen exploding on impact. The Ukrainian Armed Forces did not reveal the exact date and location of the strike. However, judging by the long line of green trees and lack of snow, the timing of the attack was likely before winter.
Destruction of a russian S-350 Vitiaz SAM system worth $135 million.
📹: Black Forest Brigade pic.twitter.com/5xdoW3PJgW
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 17, 2025
The Ukrainian experts and military bloggers believe that the weapon used to attack the S-350 was a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet acknowledged the loss.
This may not be the first time that an S-350 system has come under attack. Earlier, for instance, Ukrainian media claimed to have destroyed a Vityaz using a First-Person-View (FPV) drone in December 2023. However, these claims were not verified.
The destruction of the S-350 Vityaz would be a big loss for Russia since it is a seemingly new air defense system developed by the country. While Russia has not disclosed how many of these surface-to-air air defense systems have been produced, skeptics believe the number is insignificant.
The S-350 has been extensively deployed in the ongoing conflict. The system was initially spotted in a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense (RuMoD) in August 2022. While the video showcased close air support activities of the Su-25 Frogfoot aircraft at the Taganrog Air Base near Ukraine, it was the S-350 that attracted the most attention.
Since early 2024, the system has been deployed closer to Ukraine, much to the chagrin of the Ukrainian forces. In a rather embarrassing spectacle in February last year, the S-350 was seen accidentally driving into a row of mines somewhere in the Luhansk region. The accident occurred while the S-350 system was navigating an unmarked minefield that Russian troops had set up to thwart a possible Ukrainian attack.
With defense production lines overwhelmed and international sanctions impeding the sourcing of components, Russia’s manufacturing of cutting-edge equipment has been relatively slower than in the pre-war days, making the loss of sophisticated equipment a bigger problem for Moscow.
The S-350 Is A Force To Reckon With
The S-350 Vityaz is a mobile anti-aircraft missile system developed by the Russian company Almaz-Antey to protect critical facilities and military installations. This system is specifically designed to counter modern and advanced air attack weapons.
The S-350 comprises the launcher units 50P6, each holding 12 9M96 missiles, the multifunctional radars 50N6, and the command post 50K6.
According to the manufacturer, the S-350 Vityaz can engage ballistic targets up to 25 kilometers away and aerodynamic air targets like drones, airplanes, cruise missiles, and similar devices at least from 120 to 150 kilometers away. The S-350’s main missiles are from the 9M96 family, which the long-range S-400 air defense system also uses.
The S-350 can reportedly engage eight targets with two missiles each while simultaneously detecting and tracking up to 40 targets. Additionally, the Vityaz missiles offer prompt and efficient defense against aerial threats since they can intercept targets traveling up to two kilometers per second. The S-350 missiles are designed for both point defense and long/medium-range engagements.
Notably, the S-350 is a wheeled system that provides exceptional mobility and enables rapid deployment into combat positions within five minutes. It is simple to use and can be operated by a three-member crew.
Russia is said to have started serial manufacturing of the system in March 2019, and it went into service in February 2020. The S-350 was designed to replace the outdated S-300P series system, which has been in use since the Cold War era. Although the S-350 and the S-300 both have high-mobility wheeled chassis, the S-350 is far more adaptable.
According to Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, “The S-350E “Vityaz” air defense missile system possesses high tactical and technical performance specifications, allowing it to be used for the defense of administrative, industrial, and military facilities from massive strikes of modern and advanced air attack weapons.”
S-350 shot down a Ukrainian aircraft while operating in fully automatic mode in 2023. The system autonomously detected, tracked, and destroyed Ukrainian air targets without any operator intervention.
Notably, the Vityaz system could simultaneously function in active and passive radar modes. This dual-mode technique greatly improved the complex’s detection and classification capabilities and also increased its noise immunity—or resistance to outside interference.
Besides deploying it on the battlefield, Russia has also been making concerted attempts at exporting the S-350 Vityaz.
Promoting the system at Aero India 2023, Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Military-Political Analysis Bureau, said that the S-350 Vityaz can hit targets more precisely and would be less expensive than the US-made Patriot, despite the latter being credited with shooting down Russian hypersonic missiles and several Su-34 jets.
Mikhailov said that while the Vityaz anti-aircraft missile system is comparable to the Patriot, the Russian missiles were faster and could hit low-flying targets.
“The Patriot does not shoot down targets flying at an altitude of lower than 100 meters, whereas the Vityaz knocks out targets at an altitude of 10 meters and higher.”
The manufacturers of the S-350 Vityaz claim that it outperforms its rivals in several areas. First, it has a more considerable armament of missiles, giving it more defensive and longer-range capability. The system also has an upgraded radar that is more resistant to jamming. This radar’s circular scanning mode enables round-the-clock monitoring. Because of these characteristics, the S-350 is a more effective and situationally aware air defense system.
Praising the system, the design bureau of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern emphasized its impressive attributes, including its all-aspect coverage, enhanced firepower, significantly higher ammunition capacity for anti-aircraft guided missiles (four times greater than the S-400), and improved survivability.
For export purposes, the S-350 has been exhibited at several defense and aero exhibitions, including China’s Zhuhai Air Show in November 2024. Thus, the destruction of an S-350 Vityaz launcher does not augur well for its reputation.
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