Missile S-300V (SA-12 Gladiator)

The S-300V system entered service in 1983. The S-300VM variant, also designated Antey-2500, was designed during the 2000s. The S-300V4 iteration entered service in 2014.

The system is a mobile surface-to-air and anti-ballistic missile platform designed to engage short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, aeroballistic missiles, cruise missiles, fixed-wing aircraft, loitering ECM platforms, and precision-guided munitions. It utilizes a tracked cross-country chassis equipped with autonomous power and navigation units. The architecture includes a command post, circular and sector scan radars, and a multichannel guidance station capable of illuminating multiple targets simultaneously. Launch vehicles include the 9A82M and 9A83M launchers alongside 9A84M and 9A85M loader-launchers. The system employs 9M82M and 9M83M missiles featuring vertical launch from transport canisters. Guidance is achieved through inertial navigation with radio command mid-course updates and semi-active radar homing for the terminal phase. The warhead utilizes focused detonation to defeat targets, including individual ballistic missile warheads.

The system is widely deployed within the Russian Federation, where it is operated by air defense brigades and regiments across the Southern, Western, Eastern, and Central Military Districts. It has been exported to Egypt and Venezuela. Algeria has engaged in negotiations for the system, while proposed sales to Turkey and Saudi Arabia did not result in procurement. Operational deployments include the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria, in 2016 and the Kuril Islands in 2020. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, S-300V4 components were destroyed by HIMARS rockets in August 2023. In February 2025, an S-300VM system was destroyed by a drone in the Zaporizhia Oblast.

🇪🇬 Egypt • 🇷🇺 Russia • 🇻🇪 Venezuela