Almaz-Antey
Russia's state-owned air defence manufacturer; makes S-400, S-500, Buk, Tor; sanctioned by EU and US.
Last refreshed: 30 March 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Ukraine's drone campaign degrade Almaz-Antey's repair capacity faster than Russia can rebuild it?
Latest on Almaz-Antey
- What is Almaz-Antey?
- Almaz-Antey is Russia's state-owned air and missile defence corporation, formed in 2002. It manufactures and services the S-400, S-500, S-300, Buk, Tor, and Pantsir systems that form Russia's layered air defence and are deployed across occupied Ukraine.Source: Lowdown
- Was Almaz-Antey's Granit facility attacked by Ukraine?
- Yes. On 19 March 2026, Ukrainian drones struck the Granit enterprise in Sevastopol, a repair facility for S-400, S-300, Buk, and Tor systems. At least five drones hit the building, causing heavy damage. Ukraine's MoD said it created a gap in Russian air defence.Source: Ukrainian MoD
- Is Almaz-Antey under sanctions?
- Yes. The US sanctioned Almaz-Antey in 2014 following Russia's annexation of Crimea. The EU imposed sanctions in 2022 after the full-scale invasion. Both designations restrict technology transfers and financial dealings with the corporation.Source: US Treasury / EU Council
- Did Almaz-Antey make the missile that shot down MH17?
- The Joint Investigation Team concluded that MH17 was downed by a Buk missile belonging to the Russian military's 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. Almaz-Antey manufactures the Buk system. The corporation disputed the findings and presented an alternative trajectory analysis.Source: JIT
- How does Almaz-Antey compare to Western air defence manufacturers?
- Almaz-Antey is the state monopoly for Russian air defence, producing systems comparable to Raytheon's Patriot (S-400 vs Patriot PAC-3) and MBDA's SAMP/T. Unlike Western competitors, it operates entirely within a state-directed supply chain and cannot easily source sanctioned foreign components.Source: Lowdown
Background
Almaz-Antey is Russia's state-owned air and missile defence corporation, formed in 2002 by merging Soviet-era design bureaus including NPO Almaz and the Antey concern. It manufactures and services every major Russian air defence system in active deployment: S-400, Buk, Tor, and Pantsir. It is fully state-owned, headquartered in Moscow, and operates under direct Kremlin control.
The corporation gained infamy when a Buk missile it produced was linked to the 2014 downing of MH17 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 aboard. In the current war, its Granit repair facility in Sevastopol was struck by Ukrainian drones on 19 March 2026, heavily damaging the building that restores S-400, S-300, Buk, and Tor systems. Between 1 and 15 March, Ukraine struck over 20 Russian air defence launchers across four oblasts, accelerating pressure on repair capacity.
Almaz-Antey has been under US and EU sanctions since 2014, yet it remains the irreplaceable backbone of Russia's layered air defence. Ukraine's sequential logic, destroy launchers then destroy the factories that restore them, directly targets this monopoly position. Whether Almaz-Antey can sustain output under wartime attrition and sanctions is central to how long Russia can defend its occupied territories.
