A number of articles have been circulating over the past month[1],[2]and posts on social media[3], which alleged that the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system failed to protect the Russian armed forces' forward ammunition depots and command posts from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rocket artillery system supplied to Ukraine. This claim[4]However, it falls short because it is based on false assumptions regarding the air defense system. While HIMARS has proven to pose problems for Russia, the performance of the S-400 system has little to do with the success of HIMARS. The narrative about the alleged “failures” of the S-400 system is essentially based on a misunderstanding of both the types of ammunition[5], which Ukraine deploys with HIMARS, as well as the role and capabilities of the S-400 system.
To understand why this is the case, one must first take a closer look at both systems and then examine the systems that could be used to defend against HIMARS in the tactical and operational context of Ukraine.
Understanding the S-400 system
The S-400 is a very large and complex air defense system, broadly designed as a successor to the S-200 series and shares many similarities with the S-300P family, of which it is considered a heavily upgraded version can. The system is operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and is primarily intended to protect key facilities such as command posts, vital national infrastructure and population centers from aerial threats and ballistic attacks.
The S-400 system used in Russia has five different missile variants with which it can be armed:
| Designation: | 48N6 | 48N6M/ 48N6P-01 | 48N6DM | 40N6 | 9M96M |
| Max. range: | 150 km (for flight destinations) | 200 km (for flight destinations) | 250 km (for flight destinations) | 400 km (for flight destinations) | 120 km (for flight destinations) |
| Max Height: | 27 km | 27 km | 30 km | 40 km | 30 km |
| Control: | Semi-active radar; Target tracking via missiles | Semi-active radar; Target tracking via missiles | Semi-active radar; Target tracking via missiles | active radar | active radar |
| Max. number of missiles per launcher (TEL): | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
As the table shows, these missiles are mostly those with a very long range and a fairly decent maximum altitude. To provide an intuitive frame of reference for comparison, the typical cruising altitude of a civilian passenger aircraft is around 10.5-11.5 km, while the high-flying U2 spy plane can reach an altitude of around 22 km. Most civil and military aircraft fly well below this level.
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