NATO called the Russian Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile-cannon systems (ZRPK) an ideal weapon against military drones. This is stated in the report of the Joint Air Power Competence Center JAPCC.
The report specifies that Pantsir-S was originally designed for point-to-point defense against enemy aircraft and helicopters. Also, the weapon was planned to be used to defend long-range air defense systems from the strikes of high-precision weapons.
“Due to these characteristics, Pantsir-C1 is ideal for combating the entire range of small and tactical military drones, and also allows you to close the gap existing in regular air defense units between special systems for countering large-sized UAVs and anti-mini-drones complexes,” the report says. …
The alliance said that the “Pantsir” and similar complexes pose a “growing threat” to friendly forces on the battlefield and should be neutralized. The report also paid special attention to how Turkey reacted to the elimination of just one active Syrian “Shell” in Idlib as part of its operation “Spring Shield”. Its destruction was an important moment “for achieving the objectives of the entire operation.”
In January, The Times, citing its own sources, reported that the United States had kidnapped a Russian-made Pantsir-C1 in Libya in July 2020. According to the publication, the air defense missile system was removed from the battlefield and is currently located at Ramstein airbase in Germany. The newspaper writes that Pantsir-C1 “was delivered safe and sound.” The Times claims that the corresponding operation was carried out against the background of fears that the air defense system could get to the smugglers of weapons and be used to destroy civilian aircraft.
