![Ukrainian S-300 air defense system during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 20, 2021. High quality photo](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716279034-cbe5.jpg)
The S-300 is an air defense system designed to target NATO fighters and bombers.
![Ukrainian S-300 air defense system during a rehearsal for the Independence Day military parade in central Kyiv, Ukraine August 20, 2021. High quality photo](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716282521-9c7e.jpg)
In a recent incident, an S-300 air defense system, of Russian origin, sustained damage in Iran after being hit by an Israeli attack.
![Anti-aircraft missile system (SAM) S-300](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716282547-12ab.jpg)
This advanced radar system is designed to monitor targets in the vicinity of the central Iranian city of Isfahan, which houses a significant Iranian military installation and a nuclear facility.
![anti-aircraft missile system. Russian armed forces. Heavy Russian military equipment at a military base in the forest. preparation for rocket launch](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716282569-2077.jpg)
Moscow and Tehran have maintained a longstanding amicable relationship, regularly engaging in the exchange of military hardware and other armaments.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense1.jpeg)
In 2016, Iran initially acquired S-300 systems from Russia through a trade agreement valued at approximately $800 million.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense2.jpeg)
The impairment of one of these Russian-manufactured systems deployed by Iran dealt another significant setback to the regime.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense3.jpeg)
The S-300, with its variants including the S-300P, S-300V, and S-300F, has seen decades of evolution since its inception in the late 1960s as the Soviet answer to the threat of long-range air-based cruise missiles.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense4.jpeg)
The S-300P was the first to complete its design in 1979.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense5.jpeg)
Known as the SA-10A Grumble A by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the S-300P encompasses a variety of capabilities and components, such as a fire control system, surveillance radar, and launch vehicles.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense6.jpeg)
The S-300V variant, known as SA-23a Gladiator and SA-23b Giant in NATO parlance, was specifically designed to counter ballistic missiles, among other threats.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense7.jpeg)
The naval version, the S-300F, found its home on battlecruisers and cruisers.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense8.jpeg)
While the S-300 series was a product of the Cold War, its presence in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is a testament to its lasting utility.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense9.jpeg)
The system is employed by both Russian and Ukrainian forces, underscoring the complexity of modern warfare where vintage and cutting-edge technologies collide on the battlefield.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense10.jpeg)
Russia has been using the S-300 in ballistic missile mode to strike targets in Kyiv, while Ukraine has actively targeted these systems to undermine Russian defense capabilities.
![](https://gallery.trendydigests.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/S-300-Air-Defense11.jpeg)
Starting from February 2022, Kyiv has successfully disabled several Russian-operated S-300 systems, along with at least one more sophisticated S-400 Triumph air-defense system.
Relevant articles:
– S-300: The Air Defense System Built to Attack NATO Fighters and Bombers, The National Interest
– Missile Threat, Missile Threat
– Greece’s Russian- Built S-300 Air Defense Systems Could Finally be Headed to Ukraine, The National Interest