Is the Carting Away of Russian Pantsir S1 linked to U.S. Army’s IM-SHORAD Testing? News Analysis 11334
Russian Pantsir S1 System on the move in Libya; Image via Twitter
Speculation is rife that the U S military moving a Russian-made Pantsir S1 air defence system (ADS) from Libya to Germany may have something to do with the development and testing of the Interim Maneuver, Short-range Air-defense (IM-SHORAD) of the U.S. Army.
In May 2020 reports and photos emerged that an intact Pantsir S1 system was captured by Libyan government forces from the Libyan National Army (LNA) aligned with renegade commander Khalifa Haftar which had received it from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Pantsir S1 missile system
The U.S. military reportedly spirited a Russian-made Pantsir S1 anti-aircraft system out of Libya in June last year.
The air defense system was allegedly captured from forces aligned with renegade commander Khalifa Haftar.
A U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft carrying the Pantsir took off from Zuwarah International Airport, situated to the west of Tripoli, and flew to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, British newspaper The Times reported Thursday.
It is unclear as to what happened to the system after it arrived in Germany. The Pantsir could have been captured by Government of National Accord (GNA)-aligned forces after an airbase (possibly Al Watiya) was overrun in a counter attack.