Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles fire (Photo: Telegram).
Russia's S-400 missiles are becoming increasingly formidable.
According to the military news website Topcor, units of the Russian Armed Forces recently conducted interesting tests in the Northern Military District under conditions closely resembling real combat.
They used the S-400 long-range air defense system in the Ukrainian battlefield, combining the firing of missiles with active seekers in coordination with the A-50 AWACS airborne early warning and control radar system.
According to Military Watch magazine, with this groundbreaking new method of warfare, the Russians have transformed the state-of-the-art S-400 missile system into an even more formidable air defense weapon.
Military Watch notes that the missile used by the Russians perfectly matches the capabilities of the 40N6, a unique anti-aircraft missile with a range of up to 400km. The missile possesses unprecedented destructive power thanks to its unique flight trajectory; it soars to a high altitude in near space before plunging into a target flying about 5 meters above the ground.
This allows S-400 missile units to engage low-flying enemy aircraft and cruise missiles at long range, something no foreign air defense system can do due to Earth's curvature limitations on the trajectory of such projectiles in conventional flight paths.
In the final stage of the flight path of the 40N6 missile pair, the Russians coupled the projectiles with a long-range radar-guided aircraft, successfully hitting one of the Ukrainian planes.
Furthermore, the missile, carrying a "new warhead," can fire at a maximum range and hit targets at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters. The Russians have relatively few A-50 aircraft and do not use them frequently.
However, Russian fighter jets carry early warning radars that are nearly twice as powerful as those of their Western counterparts, which somewhat compensates for the lack of AWACS deployment. For example, the MiG-31 is equipped with a radar six times more powerful than the AN/APG-68 radar on the American F-16, designed to provide very high airborne situational awareness.
This also makes the MiG-31 a "mini AWACS" for communicating with long-range ground-based air defense systems, especially with S-400 units using 40N6 missiles.
Military Watch also drew attention to statements from high-ranking Russian officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed that Russia now produces more different types of surface-to-air missiles than all other countries in the world combined.
Simultaneously, production of the S-400 air defense system has accelerated since 2016, with Russia building several new industrial facilities and modernizing most of the older ones. The current scale of production of S-400 air defense systems and missiles allows the Russians to commission several new air defense regiments annually, along with S-300V4 missiles (for the army), S-500, and other systems.
The new S-500 system has expanded these capabilities, and while it is not optimized to defeat tactical fighter aircraft, it offers defense against intercontinental ballistic missiles, satellites, spacecraft, and faster hypersonic weapons, while also providing a large range of hypersonic weapons, with a range of up to 600km.
By 2027-2028, the number of S-400 units in Russia will exceed 60, and the production rate of 40N6 missiles will be over 300 per year. Media outlets suggest that this reflects the reality that, for decades, the Russians have spent more money on ground-based air defense systems than on tactical air defenses.
What do experts say about the S-400 missile?
Retired Colonel Victor Baranets, a leading Russian military analyst, commented: "The West has repeatedly acknowledged the unique capabilities of the S-400. Even when multiple missiles, drones, and enemy aircraft attack simultaneously, the system's 'eyes' will see them all, and the automated system will determine the most appropriate missile for these targets."
If we were to characterize the S-400 as a whole, this system combines all the best features of Russia's current defense industry: from its engines and guidance systems to its unique radar.
In fact, most international air defense experts, including Dr. Carlo Kopp of Monash University (Australia), co-founder of the renowned Air Power Australia analysis website, acknowledge that the S-400 missile is a killer of all types of flying targets, especially fifth-generation stealth aircraft such as the US F-22 and F-35.
The S-400 Triumf air defense missile system can launch various interceptor missiles, including the ultra-long-range 40N6E (400km), long-range 48N6 (250km), and 9M96E2 (120km), and short-range 9M96E (40km). Meanwhile, the American Patriot PAC air defense system has inferior performance indicators.
The S-400 Triumf's ballistic missile defense capability is one of its key features, attracting interest from many countries. Simultaneously, the system incorporates radars designed to detect and guide missiles, effectively destroying modern stealth aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35.
Furthermore, the S-400 Triumf system can also threaten targets such as early warning aircraft, which often operate outside the range of enemy air defense systems. Now, after being optimized and perfected, the S-400 is even more formidable.
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