Tor-M2: Russian Air Defense That Renders Western Cruise Missiles Impotent

Russia’s military continues to thwart Ukraine’s repeated attempts to harm its civilians and infrastructure with long-range strikes that involve Western-supplied drones and cruise missiles.

The staggeringly low success rate of Ukrainian missile strikes into Russian territory serves as testament to the quality and efficiency of Russia’s air defenses.

One such weapon system that turned out to be particularly handy in shooting down whatever the Kiev regime lobs at Russian troops is the Tor-M2, a short-range surface-to-air missile system designed by Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian defense manufacturer Almaz-Antey.

Tor-M2 is capable of engaging and destroying virtually any type of airborne target such as combat aircraft and helicopters, rockets, cruise and ballistic missiles, and precision-guided munitions, as well as reconnaissance and strike drones.

These short-range air defense systems, each of which is equipped with 16 surface-to-air missiles, are usually deployed to protect troop formations and armored units from airborne attacks or to defend various key installations.

In a recent interview with Russian media, one Tor-M2 unit commander said that probably the most difficult target he had to deal with was Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles provided to the Ukraine by the UK and France, which the regime in Kiev launches from Su-24 bomber aircraft at civilian targets in Russia.

The commander noted, however, that even though these low-flying missiles are difficult to intercept, “difficult” does not mean “impossible.”

Last month, Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol also confirmed that they are working on a new upgraded version of Tor-M2, using all of the experience accumulated during the Ukrainian conflict.