Ukraine’s counter-offensive is heating up.
This week, the open-source intelligence group Ukraine Weapons Tracker published footage depicting the destruction of a Russian 9A331M TLAR of the 9K332 Tor-M2 air defense system.
In the video released by @UAWeapons on Twitter, Ukrainian high-precision strikes took out this Russian military system in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
In the 27-second clip, the Russian air defense system is targeted by the strikes and immediately erupts into flames. The camera then pans to show billowing grey fumes which overtake the system.
What is the TOR system?
Moscow’s TOR mobile air defense system has remained a top target for Ukrainian forces since the onset of the invasion back in February 2022.
The all-weather, low-to-medium altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile was designed in the Soviet-era to destroy airframes, cruise missiles, ballistic threats and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Designated by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as SA-15 Gauntlet, Tor systems can travel at distances up to 10 miles.
Specs and capabilities
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the TOR system was initially developed in the 1980’s and officially entered service with 1991. The conception of the TOR system coincided with the development of the naval-based variant which was designed to be fitted on more modern ships like the Kirov-class battlecruisers.
Two radars are used in the TOR system to locate and engage a variety of targets.
As detailed by CSIS, “The first, a mechanically-scanned surveillance radar, can scan up to 48 targets and serves a secondary tracking function for up to ten targets. The surveillance radar’s detection range is reportedly 25 km or greater. The second, an electronically-steered tracking radar, can simultaneously engage up to two targets with radar cross sections (RCS) as small as 0.1m2.”
Russian state-media outlets have boasted that the latest TOR-M2KM short-range variant can launch new missiles at greater ranges. Additionally, the new model can reportedly fire 9M331 munitions. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine more than eighteen months ago, the TOR air defense system has played a key role in Russia’s offensive efforts. Dutch open-source news outlet Oryx has estimated that Russia has lost 36 TOR systems since the outbreak of the war.
However, obtaining accurate figures regarding casualties and equipment losses has become increasingly more challenging since both Kyiv and Moscow have strategic reasons for fudging these numbers.
Russia has lost more than its Tor systems
Since the invasion commenced, both sides have lost significant numbers of troops, armaments and military equipment. However, Russia’s losses are certainly higher than Ukraine’s. In fact, some analysts predict that the Kremlin has lost more than half its fleet of its modern tanks the T-72B3 and the T-72B3M. Additionally,
Russia’s inventory of T-80 MBTs have been reportedly diminished by two-thirds. Ukrainian officials have more recently claimed that Moscow has lost more than 4,000 tanks in battle. This figure may be inaccurately high, but Russia has undoubtedly had scores of tanks captured by Ukrainian forces or simply abandoned by its own troops.
As Kyiv’s counter-offensive continues, both Russia and Ukraine will see their respective stockpiles dwindle further.
#Ukraine: A Russian 9A331M TLAR of the 9K332 Tor-M2 air defense system was destroyed by Ukrainian high-precision strikes in #Zaporizhzhia Oblast. pic.twitter.com/IFNoCaKadT
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) July 14, 2023
Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
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