#AirDefense

Another look at a snow-covered Russia in our Photo Of The Day. We look at anti-aircraft gunners of the Kantemirovskaya tank division of the Western Military District. They’re taking part in field exercises at the Golovenki training ground near Moscow, where they practiced what actions to take in the event of an air attack. During the training, the Tor-M2 air defense missile system performed missile launches at various drones from a simulated enemy.

Welcome to TFB’s  Photo Of The Day series. Every day we show you a selection of pictures and today the location is Jurmalciems in Latvia. We have soldiers assigned to the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment firing the FIM-92 Stinger Man-Portable Air Defense System. The Stinger is an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM), and each missile weighs 22 lb (10.1 kg) with a 6.6 lb (3 kg) warhead.

The days of the Air Force‘s first stealth air superiority fighter, the F-22 Raptor, may already be numbered. US Air Force General Mike Holmes told Aviation Week that the requirements for the next-generation “Penetrating Counter Air” (PCA) program are taking shape. Although the F-22 remains the most advanced and capable fully operational fighter in the world, new foreign developments have emerged which may threaten its dominance. Specifically, the Russian Su-57 stealth fighter resulting from the PAK FA program, and the already in service S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) air defense missile system were cited by the General as being two systems that could potentially threaten the F-22. Therefore, a new fighter program is needed to maintain air dominance, according to the general.