Tor-M2DT battalion assumes combat duty in northwest Russia.

A battalion of Tor-M2DT Arctic-designed air defense missile systems from a Northern Fleet separate motor rifle brigade has assumed combat duty in the Murmansk Region in northwest Russia, the Defense Ministry’s press office said.

Tor-M2DT air defense system displayed at Army 2018 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

"The self-propelled air defense missile battalion went on combat test duty in August. During three months, the servicemen practiced monitoring the airspace and providing air defense for military facilities," the press office said. The Tor-M2DT Arctic-designed air defense missile system was made operational with the Northern Fleet’s ground and coastal-based forces in 2018. The servicemen underwent full-fledged training and conducted the first live-firing at a range in the Astrakhan Region in south Russia. In July 2019, the servicemen for the first time fired the Tor-M2DT system in the Arctic on Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

The Tor-M2DT is an Arctic version of the Tor-M2 (NATO reporting name: SA-15 Gauntlet) system. It is designed to provide air and ballistic missile defense at the battalion level. The Tor-M2DT covers strategic administrative facilities, the first echelons of land formations from strikes by anti-radar and cruise missiles, glide bombs, planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. It can operate in manual and automatic modes. The Tor system monitors the airspace and downs independently all the aerial targets unrecognized by the identification friend-or-foe device.

The Tor-M2DT has been developed on the basis of a two-section prime mover to operate in the harsh conditions of the Arctic and the Extreme North and at a temperature of -50°C. It is based on the DT-30 tracked chassis to be able to float and move in cross-country terrain.

The Tor-M2DT comprises 16 vertically-launched air defense missiles with a target engagement range of up to 12 kilometers (7 miles) and an altitude range of up to 10,000 meters. The upgraded target acquisition station is capable of detecting stealth aerial targets.

Decoy version of the Tor-M2DT air defense system displayed at Army 2018 (Picture source: Army Recognition)

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