Belarus tests new missile for Buk-MB2 air defense system near border with Ukraine
Photo: Belarus tested a new missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system near the border with Ukraine (t.me/Hajun_BY)
Belarusian military tested a new 9M318 surface-to-air guided missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system near the border with Ukraine today, December 10. Due to this, an air raid alert was declared in northern Ukraine, according to the monitoring group Belaruski Hajun.
According to Hajun, tests of the new 9M318 surface-to-air guided missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system were conducted in the Olmanskoe Swamp area and within the new flight restriction zone in southern Belarus.
The missile is designed to engage high-speed, maneuverable aerodynamic targets (drones), tactical missiles of various types, helicopters, and ground targets.
The tests, along with missile launches from the Buk system, took place on the territory of the former 41st aviation range (Merlinsky), which had been used for bomb-drop exercises since the 1960s.
This same area hosts the new flight restriction zone, which remains in effect until December 20, 2024, banning all types of aircraft from flying at altitudes ranging from ground level to 20 km.
Similar missile launches in the same swamp area took place in February 2022, when the Belarusian Armed Forces conducted two live launches of the Tochka-U missile system as part of the joint Belarus-Russia Allied Resolve military exercises. The firing range then, as now with the Buk system, was 70 km.
Hajun also noted that since the flight restriction zone is in effect until December 20, missile launches in this area may continue in the coming days.
Photo: Belarus tested a new missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system near the border with Ukraine (t.me/Hajun_BY)
Photo: Belarus tested a new missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system near the border with Ukraine (t.me/Hajun_BY)
Photo: Belarus tested a new missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system near the border with Ukraine (t.me/Hajun_BY)
Photo: Belarus tested a new missile for the Buk-MB2 air defense system near the border with Ukraine (t.me/Hajun_BY)
Military exercises in Belarus
Military exercises have begun in Belarus and will continue until December 31. Due to this, air raid alerts may become more frequent in the Rivne and Volyn regions.
It is noted that if missiles are launched from Belarusian territory, they can reach Ukrainian regions within minutes.
