Ukrainian drones wipe out Russia's $10M Buk-M1 air defense system (video)
Illustrative photo: Ukrainian drones destroys Russia's Buk-M1 air defense system (Russian media)
Ukrainian forces destroyed another Russian Buk-M1 surface-to-air missile system. The estimated cost of such an air defense system is around $10 million.
The successful operation was carried out by the Chornyi Lis (Black Forest) Brigade in cooperation with troops from the 413th Separate Raid UAV Battalion. A video of the destruction of the air defense system has also been published on the official pages of the units involved.
Thanks to precise intelligence work, drone guidance, and effective firepower, the enemy air defense system, tasked with protecting Russian positions, was destroyed. This is yet another blow to the enemy’s air defense network, highlighting the vulnerability of even Russia’s expensive military hardware against Ukrainian drones and artillery.
Buk-M1
The Buk-M1 is a medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed in the Soviet Union to engage airborne targets such as aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones. It was adopted into service in 1983 as an upgraded version of the earlier Buk system.
The system is capable of simultaneously engaging multiple targets at altitudes ranging from 15 meters to 22 kilometers, and at distances of up to 35 km. Mounted on a tracked platform, the Buk-M1 has high mobility and can quickly reposition to avoid counterattacks.
During the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Russian military has actively used these systems to defend its positions from air attacks, including from Ukrainian fighter jets and strike drones.
Ukrainian Forces' successes
Recently, Ukrainian reconnaissance troops from the Chornyi Lis Brigade located a modern Buk-M1 system of the Russian army and quickly directed a strike against it. The system was destroyed.
Before that, the Ukrainian Armed Forces also obliterated another Buk-M1 system during its relocation.