Buk-M3

The latest Russian iteration of the Buk medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile family, using canisterized missiles on a tracked transporter-erector-launcher. It succeeds the Buk-M2 with improved multi-target engagement.

In service since 2016 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km range

35,000

m altitude

targets

120

km radar

Several performance figures for Russia-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Russian state channel

Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.

Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)

Fielded & proven

Limited · 1 operator

In service since 2016. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 4.2 Mach

Stronger than 56% of air-defense systems
Engagement range Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.: 70 km

Stronger than 54% of air-defense systems
Engagement altitude Maximum target altitude the system can reach.: 35,000 m

Stronger than 86% of air-defense systems
Simultaneous targets Number of targets the system can engage at once. Higher resists saturation attacks.: 6

Stronger than 44% of air-defense systems

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 9M317M interceptor missile
Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.: 62 kg

Stronger than 63% of air-defense systems
Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.: Fragmentation
Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.: Semi-active radar homing, Inertial + datalink

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Radar Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.: 9S36M engagement radar
Radar range Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.: 120 km

Stronger than 42% of air-defense systems
Datalink Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.: Battery command post network

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 1

Stronger than 19% of air-defense systems

Specifications compiled from public Almaz-Antey and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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