A Russian defence trade supply chatting with state media has revealed that ground-based air defence programs, and specifically the S-400 lengthy vary system, have performed a big function in defending fighter plane on the frontlines from surface-to-air missile assaults by Ukraine’s personal lengthy vary air defences. The American MIM-104 Patriot system delivered from 2023 by a number of NATO members, and the Soviet S-200 which was introduced again into service a while in 2023-2024 with Polish assist, offering respective engagement ranges of 200 and 300 kilometres towards excessive flying Russian plane. The Russian S-400 system launches missiles able to intercepting targets at far greater speeds than the Patriot and S-200, permitting it to shoot down surface-to-air missiles launched by the 2 Ukrainian operated programs with its personal surface-to-air missiles.
Elaborating on the usage of the S-400 and different programs to intercept Ukrainain surface-to-air assaults, the defence trade supply reported: “Makes an attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to restrict strikes by Russian Aerospace Forces plane utilizing Western-made anti-aircraft missile programs are being thwarted by Russian air defence programs. Throughout the joint army operation, Russian air defence fight crews efficiently intercept Western-made anti-aircraft guided missiles attacking Russian operational-tactical aviation whereas finishing up fight missions to destroy the enemy on the bottom and within the air.” The supply specified that whereas the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been actively utilizing S-200 and Patriot towards Russian Su-34 and Su-35 fighters: “over the previous 12 months and a half, Russian air defence crews have intercepted practically two dozen Western-made anti-aircraft guided missiles that attacked Russian Aerospace Forces plane at supersonic speeds – from 870 to 1,178 meters per second (as much as 3.5 Mach).” “Furthermore, about half of them are MIM-104D missiles of the American Patriot air defence system,” he added.
Experiences of Russian air defence programs capturing down Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles are removed from unprecedented. On February 23, 2024 the Russian Defence Ministry reported that alongside MiG-29 fighter, a Mi-8 helicopter, seven Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles and a number of drones, Russian aviation and air defence programs had over the previous week additionally shot down a guided missile from a Ukrainian Patriot system. The floor to air missiles fired by the Patriot fly at solely Mach 3.5 speeds, with some sources reporting most speeds of Mach 5, whereas missiles fired by the S-400 fly at speeds exceeding Mach 14.
The opportunity of Russian surface-to-air missile programs additionally being relied on to supply cowl towards air-to-air missiles has the potential to be considerably extra revolutionary nonetheless, as NATO members rely rather more on air-to-air than on surface-to-air concentrating on. Though the technological standing of Russian fighter plane has diminished considerably relative to their Western and Chinese language counterparts because the disintegration of the USSR, Russian air defence programs nonetheless retain appreciable benefits, with the usage of the S-400 to blunt assaults by Patriot programs making the most of key functionality gaps between the 2 programs.
