Following the publication of photographs on April 3 allegedly exhibiting a Russian Air Drive Su-35S shot down by Ukrainian air defences, stories have emerged {that a} Soviet S-125 medium vary floor to air missile system was accountable. The Su-35 is the most expensive fighter in Russia Air Drive service fielded at squadron degree energy, and its loss marks the primary because the fighter started fight operations in early 2016. The S-125 has a protracted historical past of successes in opposition to excessive efficiency fighters, and first entered service within the Soviet Air Defence Forces in 1961. The system is especially properly suited to neutralising targets at decrease altitudes, though over time as its sensors have been modernised and its vary elevated it additionally gained the power to have interaction greater targets. The system gained its first kills through the 1973 Yom Kippur Struggle, the place in Egyptian fingers it reportedly downed a number of Israeli F-4E Phantoms which had been on the time the highest fighters within the Western world. Maybe its most notable kill, nonetheless, was gained in 1999 by Yugoslav forces when at the very least one in every of two neutralised U.S. Air Drive F-117 stealth fighters was introduced down utilizing the system. The system has since reportedly been used to intercept Israeli subsonic cruise missiles over Syrian skies.
Though lengthy since retired from the Russian Navy, largely resulting from its lack of mobility, the S-125 continues to be extensively fielded elsewhere with roughly two dozen nations fielding them. Ukraine in late 2020 returned its items to service, and has modernised them significantly to the S-125-2D Pechora normal with a a lot prolonged 40km vary. Russia additionally continued to modernise S-125 techniques in its reserves for export into the 2010s, and has exported these to quite a lot of shoppers most notably Venezuela the place they complement Russian-supplied S-300VM techniques. The downing of the Su-35, if confirmed, would contribute to the S-125’s standing as one of many deadliest anti plane techniques in historical past – intently rivalled by the upper altitude longer vary S-75 system it was constructed to enrich which entered service 4 years prior. The place the system was designed to maintain Western air forces at bay, and has burnished its file in opposition to Western plane, Ukraine’s alignment with the NATO after the overthrow of its authorities in 2014 has resulted in its arsenal inherited from the Soviet Union being aimed primarily in opposition to Russia and preventing in keeping with Western pursuits.
