SPU 2P25M1 launcher of the 2K12M KUB-M system

The tracked SPU 2P25M1 is a launcher belonging to the KUB-M anti-aircraft missile system. It is not a complete air-defence system in its own right. It worked alongside equipment for detecting and tracking targets, directing fire and checking the condition of the equipment. The three missiles on the launcher were only the most visible part of this arrangement.

The design grew out of Soviet development work in the early 1960s. Systems of this family entered Polish service in the first half of the following decade. They were intended to protect troops and sites against aircraft, including those flying at supersonic speeds. The tracked chassis distinguishes the launcher from towed guns: it had its own engine, and its missiles were not fired from a gun barrel.

This example was manufactured in 1974. It joined the Jelenia Góra collection in 2005 after being transferred from the Air Force Training Centre in Koszalin. Comparing it with earlier artillery shows a change in air defence: guns were joined by systems combining radar equipment and guided missiles.