KUALA LUMPUR. April 8 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia's Tor-M1 and Osa-AKM air defense missile systems have attracted attention of many specialists taking part in the DSA 2002 arms show now underway in Malaysia.
The systems are exhibited by the Kupol electromechanical plant located in the Russian city of Izhevsk.
Military experts of the Southeastern Asian and Asia-Pacific nations stress that "the experience in military conflicts and the threat of terrorists' aerial attack makes it necessary to take special measures to protect the main military, industrial and civil installations." They say that the use of Tor-M1 and Osa-AKM "is a method of reliable protection of such installations."
Tor-M1 is intended for defending important administrative, economic, and military installations, as well as first echelons of ground detachments from anti-radar and cruise missiles, drones, gliding air-bombs, planes and helicopters, including aircraft of stealth type.
This is the only system in the world which is capable of detecting and identifying 48 targets simultaneously, as well as of tracking and firing at two airborne targets at altitudes between 10 and 6,000 meters at once.
Tor-M1 is fitted with multipurpose phased array radars, new generation processors and software. Among its main advantages is an ability of hitting targets flying on the ballistic trajectory and destroying ballistic missile warheads on the final section of the trajectory.
A large batch of Tor-M1 systems has been shipped to Greece. The acceptance of the cargo is nearing completion.
The Kupol plant won the Gold Idea national prize for achievements in production of military-purpose export-oriented products in August 2001.
The Bank of Moscow opened a credit line for RUB900m (USD28.82m) for the plant in 2002. It was done in the framework of pre-export financing of defense industry enterprises.