Live firing Newa SC air defense system Polish army The Dragon 17 NATO

Live firing with surface-to-air missiles Newa SC, an upgraded version of the Soviet-made S-125 Neva/Pechora also known under NATO name, SA-3 Goa, for the Polish armed forces during the Dragon 17 military exercise. The NATO military drills in Poland involve around 17,000 servicemen and 3,500 units of equipment, according to the Polish defense ministry.

Live firing exercise with Newa SC air defense missile system of Polish army during The Dragon 17 NATO military exercises.

Polish armed forces have staged air defense exercises which involved test launching surface-to-air missiles as part of The Dragon 17 military exercises in the coastal town of Ustka, located in northern Poland.

The Polish soldiers also practiced taking down drones with upgraded version of Soviet-made 23-mm anti-aircraft automatic cannon ZU-23-2. The air defense drills formed part of the Dragon 17 exercises that kicked off on September 20.

The NATO drills, whose active phase runs until Friday, involve troops from Poland and NATO allies the US, Lithuania, Latvia, the UK, Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, as well as NATO hopefuls Georgia and Ukraine.

The Dragon-17 exercise involves some 17,000 land, air force and navy troops and some 3,500 units of equipment and runs through Sept. 29. For the first time the biannual drill is being joined by Poland’s new Territorial Defense Forces, which train civilian volunteers to support regular troops. Cybersecurity is also being tested.

On Thursday, Deputy Defense Minister Michal Dworczyk visited the Drawsko Pomorskie test range in northwest Poland, the main site of land drills for Poland’s biggest military exercise this year.

In 2001, Poland began offering an upgrade to the Soviet-made S-125 known as the Newa SC. This replaced many analogue components with digital ones for improved reliability and accuracy. This upgrade also involves mounting the missile launcher on a WZT-1 tank chassis (a TEL), greatly improving mobility and also adds IFF capability and data links. Radar is mounted on an 8-wheeled heavy truck chassis (formerly used for Scud launchers).

Polish soldiers also practiced taking down drones with upgraded version of Soviet-made 23-mm anti-aircraft automatic cannon.