Secret air defense system destroys Khmeimim attack UAVs.
The Russian military has deployed the new Morpheus short-range air defense missile system at the Khmeimim air base to counter drone attacks.
A new, secret anti-aircraft missile system has appeared at Russia's Khmeimim air base in Syria.
Based on satellite imagery, experts have confirmed that this is Russia's latest 42C6 Morpheus anti-aircraft missile system.
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| Satellite imagery reveals a new Russian air defense system in Syria. |
The 42C6 Morpheus air defense system is a short-range air defense missile system. However, very little information about this system has been disclosed.
Experts believe that the reason Russia decided to deploy this system at Khmeimim air base is because the base has recently been frequently attacked by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
According to some sources, development of this system began in 2007, researched and manufactured by the Experimental Design Bureau of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Corporation.
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| Russia's Morpheus air defense missile system. |
The Morpheus system was created to protect critical Russian military targets. It is equipped with both active and passive attack capabilities. This type of air defense missile system can eliminate any target operating within a range of no more than 6 km.
Regarding the control and guidance system, this Russian system is equipped with the 29YA6 multi-functional radar system, which is mounted on the 70N6 combat vehicle. In addition, an infrared station is installed on this combat vehicle, while the system control center is located on a BAZ or Tiger combat vehicle.
Regarding the launch systems, they are also mounted on the 70N6 combat vehicle. The missiles are launched from vertical launch tubes. Each launch system can carry a maximum of 16 missiles.
The missile used is the 9M338K, with a maximum range of approximately 6 km and an altitude of approximately 3.5 km.
According to military analysts, the Morpheus system will function almost like Israel's Iron Dome air defense system, designed to counter airborne weapons such as artillery shells, mortars, missiles, and airborne vehicles.
Therefore, its reaction speed is very fast, even faster than the Top-M1 and Top-M2 systems, so the Morpheus system will be quite effective in shooting down UAVs.
In fact, this system was equipped to the Russian army in 2015, but its deployment locations and information about them have been largely kept secret.
However, with this appearance, experts believe that Russia is clearly very concerned about threats to its air base in Syria.
Earlier on July 30, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that a drone belonging to rebel fighters targeting the Khmeimim air base in Syria had been shot down by the airfield's defense system.
Russian air bases in Syria have become frequent targets of drone attacks, particularly recently as Russia prepares for an offensive in northern Syria. Similar attacks were reported by the Russian military on July 21, 22, and 27.