russian Tor-M2DT air defense
New Tor-M2DT air defence system to enter service with Russian Arctic troops
In looking at a world map, conventionally, it is easy to overlook the fact that the shortest distance between the U.S and Russia is traversing the Arctic and North Pole region. Th[u]s the coming battle for supremacy over this region will prove to be highly significant.
Arctic and north pole region map
In May last year, during the annual Victory Parade in Red Square, the Russian military debuted the Russian "Arctic" missile systems. But what are they for?

Earlier this week, the Russian army received the first batch of the Arctic version of the Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft missile system ahead of schedule. The editor-in-chief of the magazine Natsionalnaya Oborona (Russian National Defense), Igor Korotchenko, explained to the military that they need this kind of very special weaponry.


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"The Arctic variant of the Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft missile system has been adapted for use at extremely low temperatures without reducing the tactical and technical characteristics. The new Tor will significantly enhance the security of Russian military bases and installations in the Arctic as well as cover the coastal areas of the North Fleet, which is very important, given its geopolitical importance," he argued.

Igor Korotchenko noted that, thanks to the increasing importance of the Arctic for Russian geopolitics, the creation of more Arctic versions of other armaments could turn a new trend in the country's war industry.

Incidentally, the expert pointed out that the Tor family systems enjoy a "huge" potential for further modernization.

The Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft missile system is an Arctic variant of the Tor-M2 system. It was created at the base of the DT-30, an articulated off-road amphibious vehicle of two sections on caterpillars, and is able to cover the air space in a radius of not less than 15 km against aerial means of the enemy.

Other Arctic equipment recently developed by Russian builders are the Pantsir-AS mobile missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems, equipped with a multi-directional target tracking and detection system, rapid firing guns and anti-aircraft missiles that allow the system to safely eliminate any aerial targets within a radius of 20 km.

This will be increasingly important as rival states such as the United Kingdom and the United States become increasingly interested in the north passage.