Drills involving S-400 and Pantsir-S missile systems held in Siberia and Volga region

YEKATERINBURG. March 4 (Interfax) - The Russian Central Military District's air defense forces used S-400 Triumph long-range missile systems and Pantsir-S short-range missile systems during training exercises held in the Saratov and Novosibirsk regions, the military district's press service said on Friday.

"The drills involved some 200 pieces of ground hardware and around 1,000 personnel from units equipped with S-400 Triumph air defense missile systems and Pantsir-S air defense missile and gun systems, and officers from the control and command centers of two air defense divisions from the Central Military District," the press service said.

According to the exercise's scenario, the S-400 Triumph systems, backed by Pantsir-S systems, detected, identified and simulated the destruction of some 150 mock enemy planes, ballistic and cruise missiles.

In addition, personnel practiced protecting critical military, administrative and industrial facilities in the Volga region and Siberia from airstrikes and trained transferring systems to travel mode and heading to a new deployment site.

"The intensity of simulated airstrikes was three to six targets per minute," the press service said.

"As they changed combat positions, the convoys of military hardware were protected by Pantsir-S systems, which repelled the air raids of mock enemy fighter jets and strike drones acting at low and near-ground altitudes," the press service said