GRID-REF 37°47′N 122°25′W
DISPATCH 02/26 · 9 Jun 2026
BATTLEPOLICY
Startup to front line. Strategy to consequence.
Tag

sam

articles
2
China

HQ-17

China's indigenised short-range air defence system, derived from the Russian Tor-M1, providing mobile point and manoeuvre-unit protection against low-altitude threats.

3
China

HQ-16

China's medium-range SAM family — vertical-launch HQ-16A/B, export LY-80, and naval HHQ-16 — bridging the gap between long-range HQ-9 and SHORAD.

4
Russia

Buk-M3

Russia’s latest tracked medium-range SAM — a 6-missile canisterized TELAR with active-radar fire-and-forget interceptors, fielded to thicken the lower tier of its integrated air defense.

5
Russia

Tor-M2

Russia's autonomous short-range air-defense system — a single-vehicle, tracked SAM that carries 16 vertical-launch missiles for point defense against aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones, and a staple of Moscow's counter-drone shield.

6
Europe

SAMP/T

The Franco-Italian SAMP/T (Mamba) is Europe’s only long-range surface-to-air missile system with proven anti-ballistic-missile capability, fielding the Aster 30 interceptor and offering a road-mobile, 360° defense against aircraft, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.

7
USA

NASAMS

The NASAMS is a medium-range, distributed, networked air-defense system jointly developed by Norway and the United States, built around the ground-launched AMRAAM and proven in combat in Ukraine.

8
China

HQ-9B

China's indigenous long-range air-defense system, a Sinicized S-300 evolution with a claimed 260 km reach, limited anti-ballistic capability, and a growing operator list, though its combat effectiveness remains largely unproven.

9
Europe

IRIS-T SLM

Germany's medium-range air-defense missile system, combat-proven in Ukraine — a road-mobile, vertical-launch SAM built to engage aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones out to 40 km, and rapidly proliferating across European and allied forces.

10
USA

Patriot PAC-3

The Patriot PAC-3 is the United States' premier long-range air-and-missile defense system — a road-mobile, layered SAM and lower-tier BMD platform that combines blast-fragmentation and hit-to-kill interceptors to defeat aircraft, cruise missiles, and tactical ballistic missiles.

11
Russia

S-400 Triumf

Russia's flagship long-range air-defense system — a road-mobile, layered SAM built to engage aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles out to 400 km, and the centerpiece of both its homeland shield and its arms-export diplomacy.