Ukrainian FPVs killed their most expensive Russian target – TOR SAM
Ukrainian soldiers destroyed a Russian Tor air defense system using an FPV drone in the direction of Kupyansk. Serhii Sternenko reported this on Twitter.
The Russian anti-aircraft missile system TOR is priced at approximately $24 million, with some variations depending on the exact specifications. On the other hand, Ukraine has acquired around 14,000 FPV drones, whose total cost is almost equivalent to the cost of a single TOR SAM.
According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian soldiers have destroyed two TOR SAM systems within the past month. The first system was damaged but managed to escape the war zone.
TOR SAM development
Some consider the British Rapier missile and French Crotale missile systems to be the closest foreign equivalents to the Tor in terms of function and operation. However, these systems are based on older equipment and are believed by some to have slightly lower performance than the Tor.
All three systems are mobile and self-propelled. Tor employs the combat vehicle with plate number 9A330. This vehicle has a crew of four individuals [one driver and three operators] and serves as an autonomous Transporter, Launcher, and Radar unit [TLAR]. However, it is different from a TELAR because it does not erect the missile to a launch position.
The GM-355 chassis, manufactured by MMZ, is the foundation of the 9A330. Equipped with NBC protection, the Tor-M1 uses an improved GM-5955 chassis.
The Tor air defense system is available in various versions such as tracked, static, towed, and wheeled. It takes only 3 minutes to mobilize and can be transported by any means, including aerial. The original Tor has a reaction time of 7-8 seconds [standard] and 7-10 seconds [when in motion].
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On the 21st of February, 2022, allegations emerged from Russia, asserting that a border facility under the jurisdiction of their Federal Security Service [FSB] had been decimated due to an aggressive shelling operation purportedly executed by Ukrainian forces. According to the Russian authorities, this unexpected and violent incursion resulted in the unfortunate demise of five Ukrainian combatants.
Ukraine, however, vehemently repudiated involvement in both occurrences, categorizing them as nothing more than deceptive maneuvers, or ‘false flags’.
In a significant development on the very day, the Russian government extended formal recognition to the self-proclaimed entities of DPR and LPR. This recognition, as per Putin, was not confined merely to the territories under their de-facto control, but encompassed the entire Ukrainian Oblasts. In an ensuing move, Putin commanded the mobilization of Russian military forces, inclusive of tanks, into the said regions.
Aggressive invasion
In a significant geopolitical development on the 24th of February, 2022, President Vladimir Putin of Russia commanded an aggressive military invasion into Ukraine. This act of aggression was executed by Russia’s formidable Armed Forces, which had been strategically amassed along the Ukrainian border in a show of ominous intent.
This invasion was not a random act of violence, but a meticulously planned operation, characterized by precise airstrikes that targeted key military infrastructures within the Ukrainian territory. Concurrently, an armored division of tanks rolled in from the Belarusian frontier, further intensifying the scale and impact of the offensive.
The Russian administration thus far has refrained from acknowledging the ongoing incursion into Ukraine as a “war”. This, despite the fact that the unfolding events bear all the hallmarks of a military conflict. Instead, the Kremlin insists on terming it a “special military operation”.
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