Manufactured by Russian state-owned defence company, Almaz-Antey, the S-400 Triumf (also knows as the SA-21 Growler by NATO nations) is one of the most advanced missile defence systems on the market.
The S-400 Triumf, is an advanced air and missile defence system intended to engage targets at ranges of up to 400 km, in an intensive jamming environment, says James Bosbotinis, a UK-based specialist in maritime and air force developments.
“The S-400 Triumf, is an advanced air and missile defence system intended to engage targets at ranges of up to 400 km”
Cost Of S-400 is very high..
Not only is it highly advanced, but it costs a fraction of its counterparts. The S-400 system costs around $500 million, in comparison to the Patriot Pac-2 which comes in at around $1 billion. This is one of the major reasons why the S-400 has garnered interest all over the world.
Russian made arms generally cost a fraction of their US counterparts due to lack of maintenance support. Andrew Hunter, director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC, “When foreign militaries buy American, above and beyond the purchase, they are buying a partnership with the U.S. military.”
S-400 is potentially twice as effective in comparison to the capable S-300 system.
Key advantages of the system include its ability to track a high number of stealth targets, high modularity, and high mobility, ensuring that the system can be deployed and engaging targets within a matter of minutes.
Overall, the S-400 – which has been in use since 2007 – is a huge step up from the S-300, and utilises a full suite of targeting apparatus, such as multifunction radar, command and control and autonomous detection, ensuring that the system is capable of providing a layered defence. While largely untested in an operational environment, the S-400 is potentially twice as effective in comparison to the capable S-300 system.
