MOSCOW. Dec 2 (Interfax) - The second battalion of the upgraded S-300 missile systems has been put on combat duty in the Voronezh region, the press service for the Russian Western Military District said in a statement.
"The crews of the S-300PM-2 Favorit mobile surface-to-air missile systems of the surface-to-air-missile regiment of the air defense unit of the Leningrad Army of Air and Air Defense Forces of the Western Military District have entered combat duty," the statement said.
The press service said on November 23 that the second S-300PM-2 systems battalion had been deployed to the regiment of the Leningrad Army of Air and Air Defense Forces stationed outside Voronezh and that the regiment had completed its program of re-equipment with upgraded systems.
The headquarters of the 6th Leningrad Army of Air and Air Defense Forces is based in St. Petersburg. The army is comprised of units of fighter, fighter-bomber, military-transport and army aviation, and radar and anti-aircraft troops. According to the website of the Russian Defense Ministry, the army's area of responsibility is airspace of the Russian Federation covering about 2 million square kilometers in area and over 3,000 kilometers of the state border.
Favorit is a development of the S-300 system manufactured by Almaz Antey. The system's combat capacity was enhanced thanks to a new missile with a heightened capability of effectively hitting ballistic targets, destroying the target's warhead at a distance of up to 40 kilometers. Its range was increased to 200 kilometers, including when an S-300 is fired in pursuit of a target. The information capacity of the command post to detect and track down ballistic missiles also increased, while its scope for detecting aerodynamic targets was maintained.