Russia is working on a small and cheap surface-to-air missile (SAM) missile for the TOR short-range air defense system, especially suited for intercepting the small-sized drones.
“The cost of anti-aircraft guided missiles of the system significantly exceeds the cost of small drones. With this in mind, work is now underway to create a relatively cheap small-sized missile for this system, and the developing of the 57-mm anti-aircraft artillery system Derivatsiya-PVO is nearing completion. In addition, work is underway to adapt the Pantsir-SM anti-aircraft missile-gun system for the use in the Ground Forces,” said the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Army General Oleg Salyukov, in the interview to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a major Russian official newspaper.
TOR air defense missile system, developed by the Izhevsk Electro-Mechanical Plant Kupol (IEMZ Kupol; a subsidiary of the Almaz-Antey concern), is designed to provide air defense for military and civil facilities against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, guided aerial missiles and bombs, and UAVs. Among the modifications marketed globally is the modular TOR-M2KM, which can be accommodated into various types of chassis or used as a stationary SAM system. The combat module can be transported by air. The system is said to be ready for integration into an air defense network composed of the systems of any origin.
In July 2020 Russian Ministry of Defense reported that TOR-M2 systems had been tested against the targets imitating the ballistic missiles. According to 2020 interview of Commander of the Russian Armed Forces’ tactical air defense Lieutenant-General Alexander Leonov, TOR systems have shot down more than 45 improvised unmanned aerial vehicles during their deployment in Syria.
In June 2020, the Russian MoD unveiled at the Victory Day parade in Moscow its latest Pantsir-SM anti-aircraft system armed with small missiles to destroy mini-drones.
