The 5V55U is a 5V55-series surface-to-air missile associated with the S-300PMU branch of the S-300 family. Open sources describe it as an upgraded missile for the 1992 export modernization, while SIPRI-derived Ukraine transfer data identifies 45 second-hand Slovak 5V55U missiles delivered for Ukrainian S-300PMU systems during Russia's full-scale invasion.
SIPRI-derived transfer data identifies Slovakia's 2022 aid delivery of 45 second-hand 5V55U missiles for Ukraine's S-300PMU system, with the quantity marked uncertain in the export; public sources confirm the Slovak S-300PMU transfer, while open reporting does not separately document individual 5V55U firings.
Role detailsOpen sources use several closely related 5V55 designations across S-300P, S-300PS, and S-300PMU references. This entry is limited to the 5V55U designation and uses adjacent variants only to explain the family sequence.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5V55K | Earlier S-300P missile | CSIS lists 5V55K as one of the current S-300P missile types and gives it a shorter maximum effective range than later 5V55R and 48N6 missiles. Sources: CSIS S-300 |
| 5V55R | Longer-range S-300P/S-300PS missile | CSIS lists 5V55R as a 5V55-family S-300P missile with a 75 km maximum effective range and a 133 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead shared with the broader 5V55 line. Sources: CSIS S-300 |
| 5V55RUD | S-300PMU missile noted in PMU references | Army Recognition identifies the S-300PMU missile fit as Fakel 5V55RUD, with semi-active radar homing and a 90 km maximum effective engagement range in that source. Sources: Army Recognition S-300PMU |
| 48N6 | Later S-300PM-family missile | CSIS uses 48N6 as the later 150 km S-300P missile comparison point; Truck Encyclopedia attributes a similar 150 km range class to 5V55U, a claim not matched by the stronger general S-300PMU sources checked for this entry. Sources: CSIS S-300, Truck Encyclopedia 5P85 |
The 5V55U is useful as a separate catalog entry because it is the transferred missile round, while launch, radar, and command functions remain part of the S-300 family architecture.
| Launcher | Launcher type | Launch evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Long-range surface-to-air missile family | The parent S-300 page covers the broader system architecture; Jamestown's SIPRI-derived transfer list identifies 5V55U missiles as munitions for Ukrainian S-300 systems. Sources: Jamestown Ukrainian Air Defense, CSIS S-300 |
 | S-300PM / PMU launcher-family vehicle | Air Power Australia places Slovak S-300PMU launcher vehicles in the 5P85SE / 5P85DE family; the cataloged 5P85SM page covers the later S-300PM-family self-propelled launcher branch and includes 5P85SE aliases. Sources: Air Power Australia S-300P Vehicles |
 | Dependent S-300PS launcher-family vehicle | The cataloged 5P85D page represents the dependent-launcher side of the earlier 5P85S/D lineage; Air Power Australia identifies related 5P85DE vehicles in Slovak S-300PMU service, so this link is launcher-family context rather than exact 5P85D proof. Sources: Air Power Australia S-300P Vehicles |
The 5V55U is not a standalone air-defense weapon. It depends on S-300PMU launch, radar, and command elements to search, track, prepare, launch, and guide the engagement, so this entry treats the missile as the transferable munition while the S-300 page covers the complete battery architecture.
Jamestown's SIPRI-derived list names 45 5V55U missiles for Ukrainian S-300 systems; the repository's SIPRI export marks the quantity uncertain and identifies the missiles as aid for an S-300PMU system, not as a complete separate 5V55U weapon system.
Sources: Jamestown Ukrainian Air Defense; SIPRI Arms Transfers Database.
Open technical references associate 5V55U with the S-300PMU export modernization and its upgraded radar and launcher set.
Source: Truck Encyclopedia 5P85.
The gallery image shows a 5V55 missile container for the S-300P family; it supports missile-family visual context, not the 5V55U subtype by itself.
Source: 5V55 S-300P container.jpg.
CSIS places S-300P development under Almaz Central Design Bureau in 1967, creating the parent air-defense family for later 5V55-series missiles.
Sources: CSIS S-300
CSIS dates S-300P service entry to 1978, before the later mobile and export branches that used several 5V55-family missiles.
Sources: CSIS S-300
Truck Encyclopedia describes the 1992 S-300PMU export modernization as using the upgraded 5V55U missile and 64N6 / 30N6-1 radar set.
Sources: Truck Encyclopedia 5P85
U.S. defense reporting and The War Zone documented Slovakia's April 2022 transfer of its S-300PMU system to Ukraine; Jamestown later cited SIPRI data listing 45 5V55U missiles for Ukrainian S-300 systems.
Sources: U.S. Defense Slovakia S-300, TWZ Slovakia S-300 Transfer, Jamestown Ukrainian Air Defense
