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Russia KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Pantsir-S1
A Russian combined gun-missile short-to-medium-range air-defense system mounted on a wheeled or tracked chassis, intended for point defense of assets and to complement longer-range systems like the S-400. It has seen extensive combat use and export.
In service since 2012 · 8 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
20
km range
15,000
m altitude
4
targets
36
km radar
💲 ≈ $15,000,000 — Approximate export cost per vehicle
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Russian state channel
Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.
Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)
Fielded & proven
Established · 8 operators
In service since 2012. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$38M – $53M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~25 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
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.
- 3 Mach Stronger than 34% of air-defense systems
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 20 km Stronger than 25% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 15,000 m Stronger than 35% of air-defense systems
- Simultaneous targets
Number of targets the system can engage at once. Higher resists saturation attacks.
- 4 Stronger than 22% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 57E6 interceptor missile plus twin 2A38M 30mm autocannons
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 2x 30mm autocannon
- Warhead
Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.
- 20 kg Stronger than 46% 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.
- Radio command, Radar/optical tracking
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- 1RS2-1E detection and tracking radar
- Radar range
Published detection range against a typical fighter-sized target. Higher sees first.
- 36 km Stronger than 15% of air-defense systems
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- Battery command network
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $15,000,000 Stronger than 63% of air-defense systems
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 8 Stronger than 81% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public KBP Instrument Design Bureau and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the engagement range of the KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 has a maximum engagement range of 20 km.
What is the main armament of the KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1's primary weapon is the 57E6 interceptor missile plus twin 2A38M 30mm autocannons.
What is the KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 used for? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 is operated by 8 countries.
How much does the KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 cost? +
The KBP Instrument Design Bureau Pantsir-S1 has an approximate unit cost of 15,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
