Ukraine missile misfire: Russian Tor‑M2 system implicated in error

During Sunday’s shelling of Crimea, Ukrainian armed forces reportedly fired at least five ATACMS missiles toward Sevastopol. According to the Russians, one deviated from its course and fell near a beach near Sevastopol. However, pictures published online suggest that a Russian Tor-M2 system missile, not an ATACMS as initially thought, landed in Crimea.

“It is too early to conclude, but it is not an ATACMS,” stated military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, who was quoted by the Ukrainian agency Unian. He points out that the missile wreckage found near Sevastopol looks like one used in the Tor-M2 anti-aircraft system.

“Using the Tor-M2 anti-aircraft system to intercept a ballistic missile is unjustified and pointless,” adds Kovalenko. The expert explains that if a Tor-M2 missile fails to intercept the designated target, it initiates a self-destruction system.

Kovalenko suspects this is what happened in Crimea. "It's possible that the missile failed to intercept the Ukrainian missile and self-destructed over the beach near Sevastopol," he explains.

The Tor-M2 complex is a weapon whose history dates back to the 1980s. During that period, the USSR began creating a successor to the 9K33 Osa system. The first generation of the Tor system was designed to combat airborne targets (drones, guided missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft, helicopters, and precision weapons) moving at short and medium ranges. Kovalenko believes using the Tor-M2 to shoot down ATACMS is unjustified. American missiles reach altitudes of several miles.

According to the Army-Technology portal, the Tor-M2 set consists of two 9M334 modules containing four 9M331 surface-to-air missiles in four separate containers. A single 9M331 missile weighs about 375 pounds and is nearly 10 feet long with a diameter of about 10 inches and a wingspan of over 2 feet. The warhead alone weighs 33 pounds.

The maximum speed of a missile fired by the Tor-M2 system reaches Mach 2.5, over 1,900 mph. A 9M331 missile can ascend to an altitude of 4 miles and get a maximum distance of about 7 miles. The rocket uses a radio guidance system.