YEKATERINBURG. Dec 11 (Interfax) - Buk-M3 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems will be put on combat duty for the first time in the Central Military District before the end of 2020, Alexander Lapin, the commander of the district's forces, said in an interview with the Russian Defense Ministry's official newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda.
"Buk-M3 systems will be put on combat duty in Siberia before the New Year's. Their tactical and technical performance will enable the Altai unit to bolster its combat capability five-fold without increasing its prescribed strength," Lapin said.
As was reported earlier, an air defense unit in the Altai territory was armed with Buk M3 systems.
The Buk-M3 system is capable of intercepting virtually any modifications of cruise missiles and aerodynamic targets. The Buk-M3 launcher can carry six or 12 such missiles.