The air defense system that shoots down targets over Odeschyna is working rockets that are 40-50 years old. Thanks to the soldiers of the Armed Forces, these missiles neutralize the most advanced shells of the Russian Armed Forces.
The sky in the Odesa region is protected by the S-125 anti-aircraft missile system (SAMS), developed in the USSR in the 1960s. The complex does not have state-of-the-art equipment, in addition, it is stationary and it takes quite a long time to assemble it and then transport it to another place. The commander of the S-125 launch battery with the call sign “Lion” told about the details of the use of air defense systems, according to a post of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Facebook page.
The post states that the story about the work of anti-aircraft fighters is dedicated to Anti-Aircraft Missile Forces Day, which will be celebrated on July 3. The main character of the report — Lev, who on the eve of the Russian invasion in 2022 barely managed to get a higher education at the Kharkiv National University of the Air Force. At first he worked on the Buk air defense system, and then — on C-125. He explained that at the beginning of the fighting he had little practical experience. Since then, he has learned a lot, commanding a crew of several fighters. The first target that was managed to be shot down — “Kalibr” missile, which flew to the Odesa region. Today, the unit has — about half a hundred missiles of the Russian Armed Forces and Shahed kamikaze drones.
A young Ukrainian officer commands the S-125 battery, which consists of several devices: several launchers (each with four missiles), a transport and charging machine, a launch control system.
The installation was developed in 1960. last century, so it does not work in an automated mode, the soldier noted. This means that the crew monitors all the details in order to make a successful shot at some point.
“We have to set the azimuths every time, monitor the angular coordinates of the targets, control the antenna settings… The algorithm for shooting down enemy targets – is multi-stage and not easy at all”, — he said.
In addition, there are two more features to keep in mind, Lev emphasized. First, fighters should monitor missiles that came off the assembly line in the 1970s and 1980s: check whether 40- and 50-year-old shells are still working. Secondly, the installation — not mobile, but stationary: change of location — “and that task with an asterisk”.
“Often something breaks down due to the age of the SAM. So even when there is no combat work – we always have something to do”, — explained the commander of the launch battery with the call sign “Lion”.