Russia has developed two new anti-aircraft systems, the TKB-1167 and Citadel, designed to cover air defense tasks that previously lacked specialized solutions. Both systems are intended primarily to counter drones and can operate in an automated mode.

Bekhan Ozdoev, Industrial Director of the Weapons, Ammunition and Special Chemicals Cluster at Rostec State Corporation and a member of the Bureau of the Russian Engineering Union, told RIA Novosti that the two systems occupy a separate niche that electronic warfare equipment, among other tools, cannot fully cover.

The TKB-1167 and Citadel are effectively automated anti-aircraft artillery platforms. They can handle the entire engagement cycle on their own, from detecting and tracking an aerial target to destroying it.

Both systems are equipped with radar stations and thermal imaging equipment, allowing them to detect drones of different sizes at any time of day. Ozdoev also said the two systems had already been tested in actual combat conditions and had confirmed their stated capabilities.

The TKB-1167 uses a four-machine-gun configuration. This arrangement creates a dense field of fire against an aerial target and sharply reduces a drone’s chances of escaping destruction.

Citadel uses a different approach. It fires programmable airburst ammunition, with the fire-control system calculating the required point along the projectile’s trajectory. The round then detonates in the air and strikes the target with shrapnel.

Ozdoev said the system can control the detonation point with such precision that, if desired, the ammunition fire could even be used to write a word in the air.