Business Insider:
Belarus has partially converted the S-200 surface-to-air missile site at Polatsk to support the highly capable S-300 system, commercial satellite imagery reveals.
As NATO beefs up contingency planning for the Baltic States in order to deter any potential aggression, plans for a Joint Regional Air Defense system between Belarus and Russia continue to show signs of progress.
DigitalGlobe space snapshots from 2015 show new “C” shaped drive-through revetments and a raised berm for a mobile engagement radar at the S-200 site at Polatsk. The conversion of the SAM site’s northern launch area has been ongoing since 2014, according to historical imagery. The south launch area, not pictured, still had all six 5P72 semi-fixed rail launcher in place with two 5V28 missiles loaded. A single 5N62 Square Pair radar remained at the nearby bunker complex.
Russia has said for the past several years that it was ready to send close allies like Belarus additional S-300 systems. Kazakhstan was also reported in December to have received further batteries. Recent satellite imagery however offers the first tangible signs that the resurgent power may be following through with statements that echo as far back as 2011.
