Minsk-based defense contractor E-System Solutions has unveiled the scale model of a new Buk surface-to-air missile system version at a military equipment convention in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Buk-MB2K is currently being offered for export to Asian customers, particularly to engage threats at sea, a report from Army Recognition said.
Its first public presentation in Southeast Asia comes after the weapon’s official launch at an arms fair in Minsk in May and its prototype’s exhibit in Azerbaijan in 2022.
The weapon has recently been added to the Belarusian Armed Forces’ inventory as part of President Alexander Lukashenko’s move to improve the country’s local missile production capacity and ease reliance on foreign developers.
In late 2024, Belarus conducted live tests of the Buk-MB2K air defense system near its border with Ukraine. As one of Russia’s closest allies, it continues to support Moscow’s invasion of Kyiv.
The Buk-MB2K
The Buk-MB2K comprises a 9A310MB2K self-propelled launcher specifically designed to carry the Belarus-manufactured 9M318 next-generation missile and its earlier variants.
The 9A310MB2K weighs 815 kilograms (1,797 pounds), has a speed of over Mach 4 (4,939 kilometers/3,069 miles per hour), an operational altitude of 25,000 meters (82,021 feet), and a range of 70 kilometers (43 miles).
The Buk-MB2K is carried by the 9A39MB2K wheeled transporter, equipped with a 500-horsepower diesel engine for a speed of 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour and 700 kilometers (435 miles) of operational range.
It is coupled with a 9S470MB2K command & control unit and a 9S150MB radar and has 10-kilometer (6-mile) radio-cable connectivity support that can be extended to 120 kilometers (75 miles) through optical fiber lines.
Overall, the Buk-MB2K can monitor targets moving at approximately 1,350 meters per second (3,020 miles per hour), and has a detection range of up to 200 kilometers (124 miles), depending on the radar.
