Posted on 07/29/2007 3:05:13 AM PDT by Fennie
Russia will deploy the first air defense batallion equipped with new S-400 missile systems around Moscow on August 6, an Air Force spokesman said. The S-400 Triumf (NATO codename SA-21 Growler) is a new air defense missile system developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau as un upgrade of the S-300 family. "A battalion equipped with S-400 Triumf air defense systems and a command post will be put on combat duty [around Moscow] August 6," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky told a news conference Tuesday.
Russia successfully conducted July 12-13 live firing tests of S-400 air defense complex at the Kapustin Yar firing range in the Astrakhan Region.
Drobyshevsky said units of the first battalion had arrived at their deployment site in the Moscow Region and were preparing to assume combat duty.
A regular S-400 battallion comprises at least eight launchers and 32 missiles and a mobile command post, according to various sources.
S-400 has been designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilimeters (250 miles), or twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and and 2.5 times that of the S-300PMU-2.
The system is reportedly highly capable of destroying stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles with an effective range of up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles), and a speed of up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per second.
Experts believe that the ability to intercept and destroy cruise missiles and ballistic missiles makes S-400 Triumf a crucial part of theater missile defenses.
How dare those Russians defend themselves against non-existent threats!!!
This must be opposed! This is proof that they’re IMPERIALISTS planning expansion!!!
Okay, if you didn’t catch the sarcasm... Russia called us a bunch of names of promoting the expansion of a ballistic missile defense system among our allies.
I wonder when they’re going to shoot down one of there own aircraft by accident...
Hopefully they have stricter rules than NASA about showing up for work drunk.
“Experts believe that the ability to intercept and destroy cruise missiles and ballistic missiles makes S-400 Triumf a crucial part of theater missile defenses”
Does that theater show first run western films or that Russian home made stuff?
This of course, is in case Matthias Rust decides to have another go at the Kremlin.
A fragmentation warhead? Probably not very effective against ballistic missiles. The U.S. interceptors us kinetic energy (hard kill) capability.
Of course, the old Spartan system used a multi-megaton warhead, until Jimminy Carter shut it down.
Yep, that Matthias Rust character probably destroyed the careers at least 20 military folks. And Rust’s life has continued in some weird pattern ever since. Surprised that no one in the KGB killed the guy.
They tracked him pretty much all the way in, but PVO Strany had orders not to engage a known-civilian target unless specifically ordered to do so. This was not long after the KAL 007 shootdown.
You’re right- there was definitely a shake-up.
To qoute Lewis Grizzard:
Lewis had been touring St. Petersburg in Russia. When he had to answer “the call of nature”, he noticed the public restrooms had no flush toilets. To this, Lewis remarked:
“Any country that hasn’t mastered the flush toilet, I am NOT worried about their missiles working properly.”
We useta have this kind of stuff. I remember driving past the Nike battery off Rt.303 near Suffern NY as a kid. That was when F 100’s and F 102’s flew out of Stuart AFB to defend NYC.
All gone with the MAD doctrine, natch.
Boy, ain’t we the smartest, wonderfullest peeple going?
The Nuclear Nikes had a limited ABM capability but not as much as the Spartan.
I remember as a boy in the early 60’s living on Fort Story, VA (just north of Virginia Beach). There was a Nike site on the post, my brother and I used to climb a hill overlooking the site to see if we could spot the missles. That being said, my first thought on reading that the Russians had spent all this money on a new air defense system for Moscow is where’s the threat?
“The Russian Federation has been promoting the defense capabilities of the S-300PMU [SA-10] in the foreign markets; and in 1994 admitted that the S-300PMU had low-spectrum capabilities ranging from defense against stealth aircraft and cruise missiles to ICBMs.
One variant has been credited with a 0.9 kill factor against ballistic-missiles.”
http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=2000/4/24/53247
In the manufacturer's promotional literature. I'd love to see the test results. Oh, this was a paper study?
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