SA-15 Gauntlet
Short-range point SAM (anti-PGM/UAS)
All-weather short-range system for point and convoy defence at division/brigade level. Vertical launch, everything in one vehicle (radar + missiles), and in the M2 version fire on the move. In Ukraine indispensable against precision weapons and drones, but itself a prized target.
Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Vehicle
- Tracked GM-355 (Tor-M1) / GM-5955 (Tor-M2)
- L × W × H
- 7.5 × 3.3 × 5.1 m (radar raised)
- Weight
- 34 t
- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- 9M331: 2.9 m × Ø 235 mm, span 650 mm; 167 kg
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia
General
- Role
- Point/convoy defence, anti-PGM/UAS
- Vehicle
- Tracked or wheeled; all-in-one
- Ready to fire
- 8–16 (vertical)
- Notable
- Fire on the move (M2)
- Chinese derivative
- HQ-17 / HQ-17A (CASIC), developed from the 27 Tor-M1s China bought in 1996 and 1999; export version HQ-17AE in service with Serbia and reportedly Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan. Sep. 2026: photos of an HQ-17 in Algerian camouflage — delivery to Algeria (a traditional Russian customer) not confirmed — source: Defence Blog, RU Mil Tracker e-20260927-07
Weapon
- Missile
- 9M331/9M338K
- Guidance
- Radio-command
- Max range
- ≈ 6.5–8.6 NM
- Altitude
- 33 ft – ≈ 32,800 ft
Threat
- Targets
- Multiple simultaneous, high rate of fire
- Countermeasure
- Saturate with cheap drones, stand-off
- Threat level
- High within 8.6 NM
News archive 6
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«ЗРК «Тор» - 40 лет на вооружении войск ПВО» (Topwar: 'The Tor SAM system - 40 years in air-defence service')
Topwar marks the 40th anniversary of the Tor short-range surface-to-air missile system entering Soviet service in 1986. According to the article, development began in the 1970s as a unified short-range system for the Ground Forces, Airborne Forces and Navy, with chief designer Veniamin Yefremov, missile designer Pyotr Grushin (MKB Fakel) and combat-vehicle…
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«Российская ПВО и опыт Спецоперации: первые успехи» (Topwar: 'Russian air defence and the experience of the Special Operation: first successes')
In the first part of a three-part series, Topwar author Kirill Ryabov reviews the initial phase of Russian air defence in the war against Ukraine from February 2022. Ground Forces air defence carried the main load, with VKS air and missile defence units and naval systems also involved; the article lists the layered Ground Forces structure (S-300V4, Buk-M3,…
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МОГам на Запорожье дадут в помощь установку с ИИ и тормозами от велосипеда
WarGonzo (Telegram, 29 Sep 2026) reports that Timur, call sign 'Santa', commander of the repair company of the 70th regiment of the 42nd Guards Division (Zaporizhzhia axis), showed WarGonzo correspondent Dmitry Seleznev an experimental counter-UAV installation built by his unit. It is described as an automated, AI-equipped firing position with two machine g…
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Chinese Tor-M1 derivative HQ-17 spotted in Algerian camouflage colours
Photos circulating on Chinese social media (Weibo) show a Chinese HQ-17 short-range air defence system painted in a camouflage pattern matching Chinese-made vehicles already in Algerian service, Defence Blog reports. Chinese sources claim the system is headed to Algeria; an OSINT account that flagged the photos noted the match but also a small possibility o…
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Turkey Reportedly Eyes Egypt as S-400 Buyer to Resolve F-35 Impasse; Cairo Already Fields Russian S-300VM
Defense Express (author Ivan Kyrychevskiy) reports that Turkey is still seeking a buyer for its Russian S-400 air defense systems, acquired under a 2017 contract with Moscow and the direct cause of Turkey's exclusion from the US F-35 program. Egypt has reportedly emerged as a probable buyer, with talks said to have taken place when Egypt's defense minister…
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Ukraine Destroys Tor-M2 System, Hits Buk-M1 Units, and Five russian Radars in Coordinated Drone Strikes
According to Defense Express, operators from Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces — specifically the 1st Separate Center working with the Deep Strike Center — carried out a coordinated overnight drone-strike campaign on 20 July 2026 against Russian air-defense and radar infrastructure. The report claims a Tor-M2 short-range air-defense system was destroyed nea…