MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian Northern Fleet military deployed to Kotelny Island held nocturnal tactical drills and firings from the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, the Russian Defense Ministry's Northern Fleet's spokesman Capt. 1st Class Vadim Serga said Thursday.
"The military personnel of the Northern Fleet's tactical group deployed to Kotelny Island [part of the New Siberian Islands in the Arctic] held a tactical drill including firing tasks to destroy ground targets using the Pantsir-S1 air defense system," Serga said.
He added that the servicemen tested the systems' operation at low air temperatures (-40 Fahrenheit) and confirmed high reliability of the Pantsirs.
The Pantsir-S (SA-22 Greyhound) is a Russian short-to-medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system, which first entered service in 2012 and will gradually replace the Tunguska self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon.
