Some high-quality photos have appeared online showing the aftermath of Ukrainian drone strikes on two russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems. Although in this case, it would be more accurate to say that they were destroyed rather than simply hit.
The first was destroyed on August 29 near the temporarily occupied city of Kerch in Crimea, where it could have been used to provide cover for the Crimean Bridge. The second was destroyed on August 30 at a military airfield near the russian city of Yeysk in the Krasnodar Krai.
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These photos provide a good opportunity to assess the effects of Ukrainian drone strikes on these systems. The second Pantsir in Yeysk was likely struck by an FP-1, as Fire Point announced that its drones had been used to attack that airfield.
This is also confirmed by the damage itself, as all that remained of the Pantsir-S1 air defense system was the KamAZ chassis and the burned-out combat compartment. Therefore, the damage was clearly caused by a drone with a large warhead—at least 60 kg, as in the FP-1.
Even if the FP-1 had struck a few meters away from the Pantsir-S1, it would still have sustained critical damage and could be considered destroyed.
In the photo of the Pantsir-S1 that was hit near Kerch, the damage appears to be somewhat less severe. Compared to the previous incident, the combat module remained in place, but a hole was blown through it at the exact location where the ammunition for its 30-mm autocannons would have been stored.
Clearly, this Pantsir system cannot be repaired. It is currently unknown exactly which type of drone carried out the attack.
However, it was likely a small drone with a warhead significantly smaller than that of the FP-1—probably something like the Ukrainian Rubaka UAV, with a warhead weighing up to 15 kg, or another similar drone controlled via Starlink.
Overall, these photos are quite unique, as it is rare to see such clear close-up shots of a Pantsir-S1 air defense system after being struck by Ukrainian drones. Usually, after these systems are destroyed, we can only see them through the camera of a drone conducting a strike assessment.
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