After the impact of a rocket on Tuesday evening in the Polish village of Przewodow, right on the border with Ukraine, the world is in turmoil. Heads of state and government are being called out of bed. Missiles hit NATO territory for the first time. However, experts classify the impact with two deaths as an accident and a deliberate attack is unlikely.
According to the first photos on site, it was probably an S-300 anti-aircraft missile that hit Przewodow. There are indications that the missile is a Ukrainian-made missile, US President Joe Biden, 79, said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali. Ukraine may have fired the missile to intercept a Russian missile, AP news agency writes based on US military sources.
Up to 2000 meters per second
The S-300 system is of Soviet design and is now an essential part of Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense against Russian attacks. The missiles can be used for defense against both fighter jets and enemy cruise missiles. The S-300 first entered service in 1978 and has been continuously developed ever since.
Both Ukraine and Russia have numerous S-300 systems. All S-300 come from Russian production. This also fits with the statement that the projectile aimed at Poland was a “Russian missile”.
There are now about 20 different types of missiles for the S-300 system. However, they all have similar core data. The missiles, which are 7.5 meters long and weigh about 1.8 tons, are mounted on vehicles in large containers and can reach speeds of almost 2,000 meters per second.
Fast displacement, poor precision
The different types of missiles mainly differ in range and explosive power. The “Ukraine Weapon Tracker” Twitter account, which analyzes and assigns weapons used, assumes, based on the debris, that the missile that crashed into Poland was a 5V55 projectile.
The latest version 5V55U has been in use since 1992. It has a range of 150 kilometers and can be loaded with explosives weighing up to 140 kilograms. The main advantage of the 5V55U is that it can be deployed quickly: less than five minutes after reaching the location, the missile launch pad is ready for use. This allows the S-300 systems to be moved quickly. Big disadvantage: the missiles are not very accurate and have relatively old radar and GPS systems.
Russia also used the S-300 on targets against Ukrainian ground forces during the summer. Only: because the missiles are specifically designed for air defense and are relatively imprecise, their use was not really effective. Experts assume that Russia uses the S-300 systems mainly because there are not enough precision missiles available.