Pantsir-S1
Contents
Description
The 96K6 Pantsir-S1 is a Russian SPAA designed with the intent of complementing and enhancing the existing air defence capabilities for military, industrial, and administrative installations. The development of the Pantsir-S1 can be traced back to the early 1990s, when the Russian military realised it needed an adaptable short-to-medium-range air defence system. The Instrument Design Bureau (KPB Tula) and the Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant worked together to develop the Pantsir-S1. The main objective was to develop a highly adaptable and powerful anti-aircraft system that could take on a variety of aerial threats, such as helicopters, fighter jets, and drones. It features advanced radar systems and a combination of missiles and guns for effective air defence. Additionally, the system is equipped with a high degree of automation, allowing for quick reaction times and efficient target engagement.
The 96K6 Pantsir-S1 was introduced in Update "Sky Guardians" as a top-tier SPAA vehicle. In terms of gameplay, the Pantsir-S1 excels at engaging aircraft and helicopters at medium to close range. Its combination of missiles and autocannons allows it to deal with various aerial threats effectively. However, its armour is relatively thin, so players need to be cautious about enemy ground units. Nonetheless, the Pantsir-S1's mobility and versatility ensure that it can provide effective air defence support to friendly forces.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Pantsir-S1 doesn't offer a strong armour of any kind, the strongest part of the vehicle is the 40 mm armoured glass that protects the driver. On the front, sides, and rear there is mostly a 5 to 6 mm structural steel armour and high hardness rolled armour.
The crew placement makes it even more vulnerable, as the 3 crew members are placed near each other, meaning a single shot is lethal for the majority of the time, making this vehicle unsuited for tank-on-tank combat. The best choice is to find natural or artificial cover to avoid being seen or being exposed to enemy fire.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 6 mm | 5 - 6 mm Top 5 - 6 mm Bottom |
6 mm | 6 mm |
| Turret | 15 mm Turret front 5 - 10 Gun mantlet |
5 - 15 mm | 5 mm | 5 - 15 mm |
| Cupola | 5 - 15 mm | 5 - 15 mm | 5 mm | 15 - 5 mm |
Notes:
- The structural steel located on the bottom of the Pantsir-S1 is 35 mm thick, being on the same level of the upper transmission.
Mobility
The Pantsir-S1 is a wheeled vehicle, making any crossing on mud, snow or ice difficult.
This vehicle moves thanks to the KamAZ 740.632-400, that offers 354 HP at 1,900 RPM. The maximum speed forwards is 70 km/h, while the reverse speed is limited to -10 km/h, making retreats difficult.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 77 | 6 | 34 | 568 | 763 | 16.71 | 22.44 |
| Realistic | 70 | 6 | 354 | 400 | 10.41 | 11.76 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 30 mm 2A38M (x4) | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 1,404 (351) | 1,250 | -1°/+85° | ±180° | Two-plane | 59.0 | 81.7 | 99.2 | 109.7 | 116.7 | 5.20 | 4.60 | 4.24 | 4.00 |
| Realistic | 39.9 | 46.9 | 57.0 | 63.0 | 67.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: AP-T · HEF-I*
- 30 mm HEI: HEF-I* · HEF-T* · HEF-I* · AP-T
- 30 mm APT: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-I*
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HEF-I* | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| AP-T | 65 | 63 | 53 | 44 | 36 | 29 | |
| HEF-T* | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HEF-I* | 960 | 0.39 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 75.46 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| AP-T | 970 | 0.4 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
| HEF-T* | 960 | 0.39 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 17.86 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Additional armament
Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.
| 95Ya6 missile | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity (Belt) | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer |
| 12 (12) | 0°/+85° | - | - |
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| 95Ya6 | SAM | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| 95Ya6 | SAM | 1,300 | 20,000 | 72.5 | 1 | 0.3 | 300 | 9 | 8.47 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Usage in battles
The Pantsir-S1 is the final word when it comes to Russian self-propelled anti-air technology, and as such affords the player much more flexibility when it comes to anti-air operations than ever before. The radar can be toggled to scan the skies in varying degrees of elevation and speed; players can choose the 30 degree mode for lower flying targets on the horizon with faster update speeds or the 80 degree mode allowing for unparalleled ability to target high flying targets at a cost of update speed, or a compromise between both with the 60 degree mode. Either way, with skilful toggling, there is little of the sky that the Pantsir-S1 cannot touch thanks to its new 95Ya6 missiles that can fly out to 20 km at nearly 50% faster top speed than the 9M311 missiles on the Tunguska. Complementary to the enhanced radar and missile suite is a very powerful gunner optic that can zoom to 28x, allowing for better target recognition and acquisition on the battlefield.
As much as it is an upgrade over the 2S6 Tunguska in the relevant fields, it does also have reduced tactical mobility owing to its turret being mounted on a truck and not the GM chassis that the Tunguska was built on. As a result, the versatility of the Tunguska that its users have come to be familiar with, are now discarded and will require an extremely cautious and defensive gameplay more so than ever before as you will be a priority target for anyone in the air that can destroy you. Staying behind teammates and utilising low terrain and cover will aid your survival, just like with the previous SPAAs.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- New high performance radar suite that can detect and track targets at ranges beyond 30 km and 18 km, respectively
- 95Ya6 missile is unparalleled in flight range, with flight performance and overload limit comparable to NATO's top tier missiles like VT1
- 28x zoom gunner optics combined with 2nd+ gen thermal sight and a longer range IRST tracking, reducing dependence on radar tracking as needed
- 2A38M autocannons as installed on the Tunguska, allowing Pantsir-S1 some attack capability at close range against both AFVs and planes
- 50% more missiles than the 2S6 Tunguska (12 vs 8) means that the Pantsir-S1 can shoot down more aircraft before having to reload
- Has the ability to track, target and fire upon multiple targets within its tracking radar's azimuth simultaneously.
- Can reliably detect and intercept air to ground weaponry, namely the AGM-65 Maverick.
Cons:
- No neutral steering like its predecessor, Tunguska, owing to the system being a wheeled truck, not tracked chassis
- No hydropneumatic suspension as used on its predecessor, meaning the Pantsir can't lower its massive profile
- Very horrible reverse speed on par with the T-72/T-90 series of MBTs, disallowing tactical retreats
- Basically no depression at all, severely reducing capability should the Pantsir find itself on high ground
- Like most SPAAs, it has next to no armour. Not getting hit is of utmost importance
- Has a huge profile that rivals the German FlakRakRad, that can't be reduced whatsoever outside of disabling radar and using IRST over radar tracking
- Mobility and acceleration is so low, such that it is reminiscent of the ZSU-23-4 Shilka
History
The 96K6 Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and artillery system, developed in the mid-1990s, was designed to protect strategically important areas, troops and long-range air defense systems. Due to the economic crisis in Russia, the development of the system was sluggish, but hot boosted in the late 90s, with new tactical requirements appearing for export of the system to the UAE. The modified Pantsir with a long-range radar also began to enter service with the Russian army, primarily in the air defense units. The version on the chassis of the KamAZ 8x8 truck appeared in 2006, and after successfully passing the tests, the Pantsir-S1 modification was put into trial operation, and in 2012 commissioned for service. At the moment, systems of the Pantsir family are in service with the Russian army and are constantly upgraded. The air defense system is intensively exported, the largest foreign operators of the Pantsir systems are Morocco, Syria, Algeria, Iraq and other countries.
- From Devblog
Media
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See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| USSR anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| GAZ-AAA | GAZ-AAA (4M) · GAZ-AAA (DShK) |
| BTR-152 | BTR-152A · BTR-152D |
| Wheeled/Half-tracked | GAZ-MM (72-K) · ZiS-12 (94-KM) · ZiS-43 |
| Radar SPAAG | ZSU-23-4 · ZSU-37-2 |
| SAM | ZSU-23-4M4 · Strela-10M2 · 2S6 · Pantsir-S1 |
| Other | ZUT-37 · ZSU-37 · BTR-ZD · ZSU-57-2 |
| Czechoslovakia | M53/59 |
| North Vietnam | ▂Phòng không T-34 |
