Lockheed Martin has produced a one-off “mock-up” of the Russian anti-aircraft missile and gun system, Pantsir-S1.
The Lockheed Martin M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) continues to be a “high value” target in Ukraine, as Russian forces have gone to great lengths to take out the American-made multiple rocket launchers. This has resulted in an ongoing showdown between the HIMARS and the Russian-made Pantsir-S1, an anti-aircraft missile and gun system.
Now, the aerospace and defense giant is working on ways to help train U.S. aviators to better combat the Kremlin’s air defense system.
Enter the Peter Pantsir!
According to a recent social media post, Lockheed Martin has produced a one-off “mock-up” of the Russian gun system. Built on a Peterbilt 320 truck, it has allowed for testing the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod on the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft.
“This mockup, unofficially called Peter Pantsir, allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of targeting and destruction systems by simulating real threats. The use of such mockups helps, in particular, to set up autonomous detection algorithms, evaluate electronic warfare equipment, and train pilots in controlled conditions without direct contact with enemy systems,” wrote open source military watcher Catdornia on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The mockup can also be used to train OPFOR (Opposing Forces) units that simulate enemy forces during U.S. Army exercises.”
The Defense Post also reported that the aptly named Peter Pantsir-S1 “was transported to a secret location,” allowing for testing the Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod. This enabled the pod to better detect, identify, and target the faux air defense system.
Mockups of the Pantsir Are Critical for Training
The mockup Pantsir-S1 is surprisingly close in detail, with just a few obvious shortcomings compared to the Russian platform. Notably, the Russian system is mounted on an 8×8 truck chassis, whereas the Peterbilt 320 has three wheels on each side.
Yet the actual air-defense weapon does look every bit the part, and it is easy to see how it could help refine the targeting pod’s sensors.
Engineers at Lockheed Martin likely had a chance to study the Pantsir-S1 the U.S. military obtained in 2020. According to Army Recognition, the Russian air-defense gun had been “supplied by the United Arab Emirates to forces aligned with Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, [and] was captured and transported by a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.”
Army Recognition added, “Examination of foreign systems such as the Pantsir-S1 allows U.S. defense analysts to assess vulnerabilities, enhance targeting accuracy, and develop suppression strategies.”
Captured hardware can allow for realistic training platforms to be created. The Defense Post also reported, “In 2023, high-quality mock-ups of the S-300 and Tor-M1 air defense systems were seen being transported by rail.”
Pantsir Imitations Now Used by China
We’ve certainly moved past the days when the military would settle for something close and call it a day. However, sensors and targeting pods need more than “close enough.”
Images of a mock-up of a U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot also made the rounds on social media nearly a year ago. The mock-up closely resembled the air defense system that misinformation suggested Ukraine had sold one of its Patriot batteries to China!
The faux Patriot is just one of several platforms China has created near-perfect facsimiles in recent years, including the HIMARS, M1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs), and F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighters.
These have been used to help train their military personnel to identify U.S. hardware. On a far larger scale, Beijing went to great lengths to produce mock-ups of U.S. Navy warships, including carriers, for missile target practice in remote locations in China.
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has taken things even further and is reported to have created a replica of Taiwan’s Presidential office, which has been used in training exercises. By comparison, what Lockheed Martin did almost falls into the novice category!
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock, Igor Dolgov.
