Ukraine has released video footage showing the use of the Soviet-era S-200 surface-to-air missile system for the first time since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022.
The footage, posted by the Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) on Telegram, shows the system firing missiles from a fixed site on the Black Sea coast. The launch was conducted using a standard stationary 5P72V launcher.
Ukraine’s GUR just revealed the first footage of its S-200 Gammon SAM unit, restoring and using the massive Cold War-era missiles to hit Russian targets.
Ukrainian S-200s have reportedly been used to down multiple high-value Russian aircraft, and hit Russian ground targets. pic.twitter.com/LQb8UbRam6
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 13, 2025
The S-200, known to NATO as the SA-5 Gammon, was originally designed to shoot down high-altitude targets such as bombers and surveillance planes. Each missile is about 36 feet long and uses a mix of solid and liquid fuel. The system relies on large ground-based radars to track and guide the missiles.
First introduced in the 1960s, the S-200 missile system was widely deployed by the Soviet Union and its allies. Following the Soviet Union’s collapse, Ukraine inherited several of these systems, but they were gradually decommissioned due to high operating costs and maintenance issues. The system was removed from service in 2013.
The exact timeline of the S-200’s return to operational use remains unclear. However, the first signs of its reactivation emerged in February 2022, when Russian sources reported that Ukraine was using the system in a surface-to-surface role.
The restored S-200 was reportedly involved in downing a Russian A-50 in January 2024 and a Tu-22M3 bomber in April. The latter was reportedly shot down from a distance of 308 kilometers, likely setting a new record for the S-200 system.
One down, the rest to go.
The first downed Russian strategic bomber Tu-22m3.@KpsZSU@DI_Ukraine pic.twitter.com/6keqNZeyAt— Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces (@TDF_UA) April 19, 2024
Although the missiles shown in the new video appear unchanged from the outside, analysts believe Ukraine has made internal upgrades. These may include improved radar systems or modified guidance systems to better target enemy aircraft.
“Potential modifications include replacing internal electronics or integrating the system with a more capable target designation radar — although not shown, it is required for guiding the interceptor’s semi-active homing head. Changing the seeker to an active one is another way to improve it, or make it fully passive which could explain effective A-50 downing,” Defense Express said in its report.
A Ukrainian defense official told The War Zone that Ukraine had received “assistance from partners” to develop an updated guidance system for the S-200. “This may help explain not only how the target acquisition and missile guidance were achieved, but also how it was able to bring down a target at such a great range,” TWZ noted in its report.
