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Second battery of Tor-M2 missile systems to arrive in Belarus before year-end

A second battery of Russian-made Tor-M2 missile systems is to be supplied to Belarus before the end of this year, Aleksandr Fomin, director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, told reporters in Minsk on October 23.

According to the official, a third battery of Tor-M2 missiles will arrive in Belarus in 2013.

The first Tor-M2 battery, which consists of four combat vehicles, with each capable of firing four missiles simultaneously, was delivered to the 120th Anti-aircraft Missile Brigade in Baranavichy, Brest region, in December 2011.

The Belarusian army expects to be supplied by Russia with at least 10 Tor-M2 batteries before 2020.

Tor is an all-weather low to medium altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed for engaging airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, precision guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic targets. Originally developed by the Soviet Union under the designation 9K330, the system is commonly known by its NATO reporting name, SA-15 "Gauntlet."

One missile system includes a combat vehicle, which carries a crew and acts as an autonomous Transporter, Launcher, And Radar unit. It is based on a chassis made by Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant. //BelaPAN