Armed Forces of Ukraine destroy the launcher of the Russian Buk-M2 SAM

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed a rare launcher of the Russian Buk-M2 anti-aircraft missile system in southern Ukraine.

The press service of the Task Force Tavria reported about this.

During a reconnaissance flight in the southern direction, the aerial reconnaissance unit of the 129th Territorial Defense Brigade discovered the position, according to the authors of the video, of the Russian 9A317 Buk-M2 anti-aircraft missile system launcher.

The footage portrays the work of the Ukrainian Leleka-100 UAV, which was used to detect the target.

Air reconnaissance reported the coordinates of the target to another artillery unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the military hit enemy equipment.

The detonation of the ammunition as a result of the hit is also shown on the video, being accompanied by a characteristic fire of rocket fuel and an abnormal launch of one of the missiles.

The destruction of a such system is a tangible loss for the enemy, as well as a window of opportunity for the work of Ukrainian combat aviation. During the entire Russian-Ukrainian war, no more than ten Russian Buk-M2 launchers and six old Buk-M1-2s were destroyed.

The day before, Militarnyi reported that Ukrainian gunners had hit the launcher of the Russian Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system near the city of Popasna, Donetsk region. The aerial reconnaissance unit of the 45th Separate Artillery Brigade, in coordination with the operators of the HIMARS, managed to detect and destroy the target.

Besides, at the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces operators had seized relatively undamaged elements of the Buk-M2 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system battery and its ammunition in the Kyiv region.

9K317 Buk-M2

The Buk-M2 medium-range multi-role anti-aircraft missile system is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise missiles, and helicopters. With new missiles, this air defense system is capable of hitting ballistic targets as well.

The 9K317 Buk-M2 system includes 12 9А317 TELAR, 9А316 TEL, a 9S510 command post, a 9S18М1-3 SURN, and a 9S36 SURN.

Despite the presence of other systems of the Buk-M2, the launchers can, if necessary, work completely autonomously due to the radar integrated on the chassis, which is located in the nose part of the rotating platform with missiles.

The main weapon of the system is the 9M317 anti-aircraft guided missile. The missile has an extended firing range to 45-50 km and in altitude up to 25 km.

It can be used by the BUK-M1-2 and BUK-M2 anti-aircraft missile systems and is capable of hitting maneuverable tactical and strategic aircraft, helicopters, including hovering, tactical ballistic and cruise missiles.