• UGI USER
  • Jan 04, 2023
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How is the S-400 air defence system is superior to any other system presently available in the world?

S-400 air defence system:

The mobile long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system S-400 (Triumf) was created by Russia. It is regarded as one of the most cutting-edge air defence systems in the world, capable of simultaneously detecting and eliminating a variety of approaching aerial threats. India and Russia are negotiating the purchase of five S-400 missile defence systems.

The S-400 is superior to other missile defence systems because of  the following reasons:

  1. A multifunction radar, an autonomous detection and targeting system, anti-aircraft missile systems, and a command and control centre are all included in the S-400 system.
  2. It can engage any target across a distance of 400 km at a height of 27 km. Additionally, it has the ability to hit 36 targets at once.
  3. S-400 can be deployed in 5 minutes as opposed to Patriot’s 25 minutes. Patriot’s top speed of 1.38 km/sec is surpassed by the S-400’s top speed of 4.8 km/sec.
  4. Although its radars can detect objects with low signatures, it also has electronic countermeasures to foil any enemy jamming attempts.
  5. Despite being far less expensive than comparable western systems like THAAD or Patriot, it can protect a significantly broader area than Israel’s Iron Dome.
  6. In terms of range and hitting targets farther away, it has an advantage over THAAD built in the US.
  7. While S-400 is an anti-ballistic missile defence system, it can also engage other aerial targets including UAVs and other flying objects.
  8. Each system contains four different types of missiles with maximum ranges of 40 km, 120 km, 250 km, and 400 km, as well as a maximum height of 30 km. By using different ranges and heights, an air defence net with numerous levels is produced.
  9. In contrast to the Russian S-400, the American THAAD is a one-dimensional missile system that can only fire one type of missile up to a range of 150–200 km, whereas Patriot has a range of 180 km.
  10.  THAAD is unable to intercept a fighter plane, but S-400 can.
  11.  Patriot and S-400 deploy in five and twenty-five minutes, respectively.
  12. Compared to Patriot’s maximum target speed of 1.38 km/s, the S-400’s is 4.8 km/s.

There is a chance of a two-front engagement because India has two adversaries on its western and eastern frontiers. In this regard, even if the S-400 purchase could result in US sanctions under CAATSA, it is essential for India’s strategic and tactical requirements.