It’s no secret that Russia is building up its forces for combat north of the Arctic Circle and we have previously explored how the frigid wastes are increasingly a point of contention between officials in Moscow and their counterparts in other countries when it comes to territorial claims and resource rights. Now, the Kremlin has revealed it is building mobile anti-aircraft defenses specifically for its troops in the region. On April 5, 2017, photographer Vitaly Kuzmin spotted the two air defense systems as they prepared at the Alabino Proving Ground outside Moscow for Russia’s annual Victory Day parade. The event commemorates the country’s capture of Berlin and defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 and has historically been an opportunity to show off new military hardware.

In this case, among the participants, were units with the 9K331MDT Tor-M2DT and Pantsir-SA systems. Though almost entirely covered in tan tarps to protect their pristine paint jobs for the parade, a distinct winter-themed three color white-black-gray camouflage scheme was visible in the pictures. More importantly, both are variants of existing systems mounted on the DT-30PM tracked vehicle. A Soviet-era design also known as the Vityaz ATV, the nearly 60-ton carrier has two distinct sections with an articulating linkage connection the drive trains. The PM-variant introduced a new, more powerful engine compared to the older versions.

Vitaly Kuzmin Pantsir-SA

On improved roads, the DT-30s have a top speed of 30 miles per hour. However, they have excellent mobility off road, even in loose terrain like sand and snow, thanks to the four, wide, powered rubber-band tracks. They are also amphibious, but move at only three miles per hour in water. In addition, the vehicles can operate in temperatures as low as negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit – the average winter low in the Arctic – and at altitudes as high as 4,000 feet. These features made the DT-series popular with the Russian Army, as well as the country’s natural resources extraction firms, including the state oil company Gazprom.

Vitaly Kuzmin Pantsir-SA

On both the 9K331MDT Tor-M2DT and Pantsir-SA, the rear module holds the main weapon systems. In the front, retractable antennas on the Pantsir-SA suggest the air defense versions may use the carrier’s compartment for more than just carrying the crew. According to the manufacturers, both systems can take on helicopters, fast-moving fixed-wing aircraft, and cruise missiles at short and medium ranges. The Soviet-era Tor missile system has been in service since 1986. The weapon consisted of a group of 8 vertical launchers and fire control radar inside a rotating turret. The missiles came in two self-contained four-round “packs” for fast reloading.

Vitaly Kuzmin 9K331MDT Tor-M2DT