What Are Russian TOR-M2 Anti-Aircraft Missile Systems?
Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian short-range anti-aircraft missile systems and posted dramatic footage of the destroyed systems online.
On March 28, Ukraine's military published a video of a drone striking a TOR-M2 anti-aircraft missile system. It was the fourth Russian TOR missile system to be destroyed in March, Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces said.
The TOR-M2, which debuted in 2007, is one of the short-to medium-range missile systems used by Russian forces to take down air targets and precision-guided munitions. The surface-to-air system comes in several variations, with the TOR-M2 being an upgrade of the TOR-M1.
The TOR-M2 all-weather system has a range of just under 10 miles, according to Russian state media, and is designed to fight a host of weapons systems including aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, anti-radar missiles, and "smart" bombs.
Russian news outlet Tass lauds the TOR-M2 as a "cutting-edge" system, and a small-size missile designed for the TOR-M2 was unveiled in 2020 specifically to combat drones.
The TOR-M2 is "the most effective means against tactical drones," the commander of Russia's ground forces said in 2020. A "relatively inexpensive small missile is being developed" for the TOR-M2 to tackle unmanned aerial vehicles, General Oleg Salyukov told state media.
The TOR-M2 was specifically designed to be a better defensive system against the likes of drones, "especially in a swarm environment," according to the U.S. military, referring to several or many drones heading for the same target.
The TOR-M2 can be wheeled or tracked, and the later versions can engage four targets at once. The system is designed to operate at medium, low, and extremely low altitudes "in contested air" or "jamming" environments, according to Russian state military exporter, Rosoboronexport.
The TOR-M2 is operated by a three-person crew. It is fitted with improved detection radars, allowing for a "shorter reaction time" among other improvements, according to the U.S. think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The TOR systems, which can be referred to by their NATO reporting name, SA-15 Gauntlet, have been in use since 1986. The mobile, ground-based defense system is also used by countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran, and China.
The TOR-M2DT, an Arctic variant of the TOR system, has also been used in Ukraine. Designed to "provide extreme mobility" in difficult environments, according to the U.S. military, it has become a target for Ukraine's fighters.
In early February, Ukraine's defense ministry said the air defense system "became the star of Russian television when it was sent to Ukraine."
"But soon a Ukrainian drone introduced it to Ukrainian gunners," the ministry wrote in a post on Twitter. "It burned brightly, the fire extinguisher did not help."
As of Sunday, two TOR-M2DTs have been confirmed as destroyed since February 2022, in a count updated on Dutch open-source outlet Oryx.
