Ukraine Reveals The S-200 Missiles That Make Russian Pilots Keep Their Distance

Look at that rocket zoom. By the time it reaches the edge of the frame, it is already breaking the speed of sound. By the time the four booster rockets are released at altitude, the missile is flying at Mach 4. It has a range over 300 km (180 mi). Anything flying less than Mach 3.5 will not escape a volley of these venerable Cold War missiles, known to NATO as the SA-5 Gammon.

There are tradeoffs for that speed and range advantage however. Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) has released the video above showing an S-200 5V28 missile being from a fixed 5P72V launch platform. There was speculation that Ukraine had developed a mobile launcher for these ancient surface-to-air missiles, but that does not seem to be the case. Burn marks from multiple launches can be seen in the video.

Each missile must be fixed to the erector and fueled before launch. Because the hypergolic oxidizer used in the main engine is so toxic, the crew must wear protective HAZMAT suits. This all takes a while, and during that time the crew and missile are supremely vulnerable to long-range Russian fires. It is a high-risk occupation.

Although they were designed to shoot down American nuclear bombers, Ukrainians started using S-200s as hypersonic surface-to-surface missiles first in July 2023, reaching targets deep inside Russia that had significant air defense. But the system was soon turned against Russian air superiority systems.

GUR now confirms that the shootdowns of a Beriev A-50U early warning aircraft, and the critical damage to an IL-22M air command post, during a single spectacular night in January 2024, were accomplished with S-200s. Ukrainians then shot down a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber in April, scoring the hit at a reported range of 308 km. Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of GUR, confirmed that an S-200 was used in that shootdown.

As the shootdowns took place over the Sea of Azov, I speculated in March 2024 that the launch point must be somewhere in free Zaporizhzhia. It appears to me from the video that the launcher may indeed be located on a bank of a Dnipro lake, some of which are large enough for significant wave action at the shore. However, The War Zone says the clip was shot somewhere on the Black Sea Coast. Not being a geolocation expert, I cannot confirm either way. My point is that Russians ought to have sussed the location out, by now, but it’s still there, untouched.

The old S-200 launch sites had reportedly been mothballed, and the missiles removed from active service, in 2013. As I wrote last March, however, Poland had already upgraded their own S-200 rockets and radars, so it was likely that Warsaw had made a technological transfer to Kyiv, even provided their own upgraded S-200C Vegas, during 2023.

Anything that can be upgraded with software remains a potent weapon even in the 21st century. “While the missile’s external appearance has not changed, its internal electronics are believed to have been modernized, though the full extent of the upgrades remains classified,” Ivan Khomenko reports. The S-200 is an example of old weapons made new.

Analysts suggest Ukraine may have integrated alternative radar illuminators or replaced the missile’s original semi-active seeker with an active or passive homing system. A newly revealed launch control panel includes a button marked “ГСН заор.” — potentially indicating updated guidance capabilities, though the exact function is still under analysis.

A couple of outlets mentioned this. “The possible operation with the homing head is indicated by the captions on the new remote control with the ‘GOS zaor’ button,” Defense Express reports, “but at the time of publication, what ‘zaor’ means is still subject to clarification.” It remains unclear whether the S-200 Vega’s radar seeker is active, i.e. sending its own signal, or passive, i.e. homes in on the signal the target reflects from a ground radar station, or a combination.

The long prep time for launch from a limited number of fixed sites suggests that Ukraine has taken advantage of timely intelligence and an understanding of Russian routines to ‘ambush’ high-value aircraft. Long-range bombers that fire hypersonic cruise missiles against Ukrainian cities and air superiority platforms have been their primary targets, forcing the survivors to stay out of range and adopt new tactics. Russia’s already-lackluster performance in this war has suffered accordingly.