Russian long-range air defense missile systems are perhaps well-known worldwide, but few people know how they are manufactured.
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| Names like S-300, S-400, and in the near future, S-500, are always mentioned as the air defense systems protecting Russia's skies from all airborne threats. They are capable of intercepting almost any type of flying target, including ballistic missiles, with an effective range of up to 400 km even at altitudes above 180,000 meters. (Image source: The National Interest) |
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| However, to achieve that power, one cannot ignore the special missiles designed for these air defense missile systems, such as the 40N6 and 48N6DM of the S-400, or the 64N6 and 96L6E of the S-300PMU-1. Of course, creating these missiles is no easy task, especially at the Avangard plant, the only facility in Russia that manufactures missiles for the S-400. (Image source: Therussophile.Org) |
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| Avangard is one of the subsidiaries of Russia's Almaz-Antey missile corporation and is considered the main contractor for contracts to supply or maintain missiles for the Russian Army's S-300, S-400, and S-500 air defense systems. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| Established in 1942 and having undergone 75 years of development, Avangard is one of the leading missile manufacturing plants in Russia. Furthermore, Almaz-Antey continues to invest in and support Avangard's expansion to meet the growing market demand in the future. (Image source: arms-expo) |
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| The Avangard's name is, of course, also associated with the types of anti-aircraft missiles it has manufactured, such as the V-750 missile for the legendary S-75 anti-aircraft missile system that saw combat in the Vietnam War, or the V-600 for the S-125 anti-aircraft system, and many others. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| Avangard's main product lines currently remain missiles for the S-300 and S-400 systems, and in the near future, the S-500. The factory's automation rate has also increased significantly recently, by approximately 40% compared to 2014, as Russian missile manufacturing technology standards have changed. (Image source: arms-expo) |
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| However, few people know that Avangard's initial purpose was not to manufacture attack missiles, but rather engines for aircraft, specifically the U-2 biplane fighter. It wasn't until 1950 that Avangard began to be repurposed to manufacture components for the Soviet Union's SAM anti-aircraft missiles at the time. (Image source: arms-expo) |
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| The photo shows dozens of missile storage tubes for S-300 and S-400 systems inside an Avangard workshop. These tubes are designed to protect the missiles from external impacts. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| A close-up view of a missile for the S-300 air defense system, manufactured by Avangard. It is still under construction before being loaded into its storage tube. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| Despite increasing automation, Avangard still has some processes that must be performed manually to ensure the specific technical requirements of each component. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| Another view of the missile manufacturing plant at Avangard, where the finished missiles are placed inside containers in preparation for shipment. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| These missile containers have a service life of up to several decades, and before being shipped, they must undergo at least 14 rigorous quality control checks. The ultimate goal is to ensure they can fulfill their mission after deployment. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| Each of these missiles is not cheap, potentially costing over a million USD; however, the targets they can shoot down are worth hundreds of times that amount. For example, a US B-2 long-range strategic bomber costs over 730 million USD, and Russia could shoot it down with just one to three S-300 missiles. (Image source: arms-expo) |
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| Besides serving the domestic market, the Avangard factory also fulfills contracts to supply S-300 missile systems for export, and it is highly likely that the S-300PMU-1 missiles currently used by Vietnam are also manufactured by Avangard. Image source: arms-expo. |
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| The image shows a 48N6 missile container for the S-300 system, which has an effective range of 150-195km depending on the variant. Image source: arms-expo |
According to Kienthuc
