The Domed City - Moscow Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary of its Anti-Aircraft System
Today, the protective dome over Moscow is 100 years old. The capital got its first anti-aircraft system exactly a century ago. The name and structure of the troops have changed many times over the years. The methods of defending the celestial boundaries of the city have changed along with the technology. How was an umbrella opened over Moscow?
Here's Dmitry Blinnikov. Rockets soar into the sky.
The anti-aircraft warfare forces of the capital are on alert. Even on the anniversary, they are on duty conducting exercises. The anti-aircraft warfare system was created 100 years ago after the transfer of the capital from Petrograd. Aerostats were raised into the sky. In the city, upward-facing cannons and machine guns were mounted onto wagons. The complete superiority of Moscow's anti-aircraft gunners over the Luftwaffe was clearly demonstrated; only 220 out of 8,000 aircraft managed to get to the city.
Dmitry Khazanov, historian, writer: "Beating back raids on the capital was successful, and Stalin acknowledged that fact in particular. Servicemembers, anti-aircraft gunners, pilots and searchlight operators received awards".
Today the capital is surrounded by a ring of anti-aircraft missile systems. Underground command posts detect and track more than half a million flying objects per year. The alarm, which doesn't always denote a drill, goes off often. Multicolored lights start to flash on the screen repeatedly. Those on duty go to their battle stations.
Targets identified! This radar station, with its giant antenna, is the eyes of the anti-aircraft warfare system. It sees objects the size of a soccer ball at a distance of 600 kilometers. Machines start working on command. The world-renowned S-400 anti-aircraft system is Moscow's most formidable air defense system. It has no analogs in the whole world. It can shoot down any targets, whether they're at high altitudes or low altitudes, giving enemy missiles and aircraft no chance to survive. It takes several volleys to destroy a hundred cruise missiles.
In a real-world situation, they would be shot down just as quickly and easily. These Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile system units are fully operational. Their targets are helicopters and drones. They are practically impossible to counter; they are the only ones in the world that can fire on the move. The anti-aircraft gunners assure us that Moscow's skies are completely secure.
Dmitry Blinnikov, Yegor Kuznetsov, Yana Novikova — Vesti