Ukraine’s “Chornyi Lis” Brigade Destroys $45M Russian Buk-M3 Air Defense System, Video

The scouts of Ukraine’s “Chornyi Lis”  brigade successfully hunted down and destroyed a latest-model Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system.

This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine via Telegram on October 26.

“Scouts of the ‘Chornyi Lis’ brigade found and directed fire at another Russian anti-aircraft missile system. The cost of the air defense system destroyed is $45 million,” the message reads.

The Buk-M3 is the newest and most sophisticated model in Russia's family of medium-range anti-aircraft defenses. Deployed since the mid-2010s, this system is engineered to shoot down nearly any airborne threat, from warplanes and cruise missiles to certain ballistic missiles. It can strike targets flying as high as 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) and as far away as 70 kilometers (about 43 miles) or more.

Its primary weapon is the 9R31M missile, which provides superior precision and power compared to missiles used by older Buk systems. The Buk-M3 boasts an enhanced phased-array radar, which improves its ability to resist electronic attacks and detect low-observable (stealth) aircraft. On the operational side, it is designed for rapid response, capable of simultaneously tracking and engaging as many as 36 targets. Since it is mounted on a tracked vehicle, it maintains high mobility, making it suitable for deployment alongside ground troops on the front lines.

Earlier, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate announced that its Active Operations Department had taken out three high-value Russian air defense assets over a two-day period.

The eliminated systems included a Buk-M3 self-propelled missile launcher and two 1L119 “Nebo-SVU” surveillance radars. These successful strikes occurred in Russian-occupied areas across the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as in Crimea.

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