Belarus has ordered a new battery of surface-to-air Tor-M2 missiles (NATO name SA-15 Gauntlet), bringing the number to a total of five batteries, according to the Russian defense blog bmpd. The first battery was acquired in 2011, and since then the arsenal has grown steadily with the goal to end at ten batteries in 2020. The weapons are delivered as part of an agreement between Belarus and Russia about the development of military technology.
Belarus has bought the 9K332MK version of the Tor-M2, which is a short-range missile with a maximum range of 16 kilometers, a maximum altitude of 10 kilometers, and a maximum speed of 1000 m/s. Typically a battery consists of four vehicles with 8 missiles each and a command vehicle.
Air defense missiles seem to be the thing these days. Lithuania just announced the purchase of a Norwegian made air defense system, and Sweden is having an intense debate about the purchase of air defense missiles which has run into some political turmoil after the realization that the price tag is billions of SEK. Denmark is expected to equip its frigates with SM2 missiles as part of the next political defense agreement, which will give much improved air defense capabilities.
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