Russia deploys state-of-the-art 2S38 air defense system
The 2S38’s 57mm automatic gun can fire at high speed, supported by an advanced fire control system including target tracking radar, electro-optical sensors to track and destroy UAVs at different altitudes, even low-flying aircraft that are difficult to intercept by conventional air defense systems. In addition to UAVs, the 2S38 is also capable of intercepting and destroying high-precision weapons such as cruise missiles.
7.8m long, 3.23m wide, 2.4m high, the 2S38 complex is operated by a crew of 3, including commander, gunner and driver; can move at a maximum speed of 70km/h on the road, with an operating range of 600km; can wade through water at a speed of 10km/h, overcome obstacles 0.8m high, and cross trenches 2.5m deep.
* What is special about Ukraine’s new weapon?
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been equipped with a new long-range strike weapon called Palianytsia. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, this weapon carried out its first combat mission on August 24.
There were reports of a Ukrainian drone attack on August 24 and footage recorded by locals with the sound of jet engines. However, it is too early to confirm that they are linked to Palianytsia.
The weapon has been developed in absolute secrecy. Its classification as a missile/UAV, according to Defense Express, suggests that its developers have optimized the balance of destructive power and relatively low cost (compared to a full-fledged cruise missile) to enable mass production.
Video shared by United24Media revealed the development of the Palianytsia missile/UAV. Screenshot from video
According to the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleksandr Kamyshin, there will be many missiles/UAVs in the future, just as there are already many long-range attack UAVs. Missiles/UAVs are the next step in the development of Ukraine’s defense technology.
In a video about the development of Palianytsia shared by United24Media on August 25, Palianytsia has a conventional design with a tapered main wing in the middle of the fuselage and four small wings at the tail, looking like a winged rocket. Palianytsia is launched from a ground-based system, not from a runway. The video clearly states that Palianytsia is equipped with a turbofan engine. One of the details revealed is that the development of Palianytsia took a year and a half, the cost is much lower than similar products, and the cost will continue to decrease as the mass production scale increases.
Technical specifications such as range and warhead have been classified. According to the video, the missile/UAV is said to be capable of reaching 20 Russian airfields. A map in the video shows air bases in the Pskov region, Savasleyka and Engels airfields, the main operating bases of the Russian strategic aviation.
For UAVs to reach the airfields near Pskov, their range would have to be at least 750km, roughly the distance between the front line and Engels, and about 650km to Savasleyka. If this is not just a figment of the graphic designer’s imagination, Palianytsia has the range of a short-range ballistic missile.
MAI HUONG (synthesis)