How scary is the Russian S-400 SAM?

Scott Wolff 19 Comments News

Simply stated, of all the surface-to-air threats being faced by coalition airpower over Syria, the Russian S-400 SAM, known as the “Triumf” at home and better known to NATO as the SA-21 “Growler,” is the most capable and lethal long-range air defense missile system on the planet.

In response to the downing of a Russian Su-24M by a Turkish F-16C on 24 November, the Russians announced a few changes to their Air Tasking Order in Syria: 1) ALL surface attack sorties would have fighter escorts and, 2) air defense batteries would be standing up the S-400, with orders to engage *all* aircraft deemed to be hostile to Russian air operations.

Developed by Almaz-Antey Central Design Bureau, the SA-21 has been in service with the Russian military since 2007. The system is capable of destroying airborne targets as far as 250 miles away, at speeds that are just….ridiculous. An excellent write-up on the system and its various components can be found here, courtesy of Airpower Australia.

The Almaz-Antey S-400 "Triumf," also known by its NATO codename of SA-21 "Growler." (Photo Courtesy of NOSINT)

The Russian S-400 “Triumf,” also known by its NATO codename of SA-21 “Growler,” produced by the Almaz-Antey Central Design Bureau. (Photo Courtesy of NOSINT)

So what does all of that mean for coalition airpower? Our good friend Tyson Wetzel, a graduate of and former instructor at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, has broken down the tactical and strategic implications for the Russian S-400 deployment in Syria. The bottom line? It’s a pretty scary prospect, considering the SA-21–from its current position around Hmeymim Air Base near Latakia, can cover all by the eastern-most points in Syria.

That also means a healthy amount of Operation Inherent Resolve air assets, both U.S. and coalition, are underneath the Growler’s coverage at their forward-deployed locations. That fact is, as one U.S. pilot said, “not even remotely” awesome for anyone flying over Syria.

While other news outlets have reported no U.S warplanes have flown since the SA-21s have been deployed, we know this simply is not the case.

“SA-21’s haven’t changed our fly rates or the areas we operate in,” says one American pilot. “We’ve been flying in SA-5 MEZs for a year now and they have known we have been there the entire time.”

(Featured photo courtesy of AP/Reuters)

93YJ

How would the Prowler’s jamming abilities stack up against this SAM system? Should things go sour with the Russians, would they be able to provide a blind spot in the canopy of the SM-400 for us and our allies to operate in the AO?
- Jean Valette
  
  The S-400 has much greater power output compared to the Prowler so it would be really hard to jam. Besides, Russian doctrine promoted the use of missile salvos and not single shots – often firing an IR followed by a radar guided missile or a radar guided complemented by an anti-radiation missile which would lock on to the jamming source. The greatest weakness of the S-400 sites would be their inability to deal with swarming attacks due to high reload time. Another weakness is Russian build quality – while engineers are very capable, build quality is horrific and russian engineers have much less funding than NATO ones. In AESA radar technology, the Russians are way behind the West and some of their vital components come from Japan, which is a NATO member.
  - Ron Taylor
    
    “some of their vital components come from Japan, which is a NATO member.” Really???
    - Jean Valette
      
      Yes, the germanium-arsenide transistors are currently from Japan.
      
      BTW – there is a mistake in my post, not a member but an ally, forgot their designation to states like Israel, Japan and etc.
farawayplace

The secret is out about the F-35. It can carry a payload of small drones that it computer-controls on the order of dozens — sending them to separate targets. It can also control a slew of them sent by forces on the ground. One F-35 has enough computer capability to direct and control swarms of small drones, which each have the explosive power of a small tankbuster weapon. The SM-400 is too big of a weapon to detect and handle the swarm of drones. The battlefield has changed. The US is just being coy about letting the world see its true hand if it’s not needed.
- Евгений
  
  Destruction of small-sized set of objectives Armor C-1
- rnsone
  
  NEWSFLASH! The F-35 isn’t even operational! It can’t fly in the fog, rain, snow, etc! It’s a trillion dollar piece of junk! The Chinese can produce dozens of their Russian inspired fighter jet for the cost of one F-35! You see in Russia and China they get more bang less buck for their weapons systems. Here in America we get JUNK! The defense industry is robbing the American taxpayer blind! Our weapons just ain’t the same anymore. The F-22 asphyxiates its pilots when it goes beyond 20,000 feet! We are the laughing stock as we spend billions on the defense and get c**ck in return.
  - Arthur Petrini
    
    News flash. F-35 can fly in the rain, fog, snow and on a nice sunny day. It can eat green eggs and ham with a fox, in a box. It is operation with the Marine Corp and SHIELD. The F-35 is not the end all answer to the worlds problems but it’s not the hunk of junk some folks are trying to say it is either. The oxygen problem with the F-22 has been worked out for the most part with help from the Navy and NASA. The Navy had a similar problem with the FA-18E and F. Please. Just, stop…
    - rnsone
      
      No you need to stop drinking the government and media kool aid. We the taxpayer are getting robbed. You’re blind to the facts. A simple google search will tell you all of this and it’s in TESTING, that doesn’t mean operational. It’s more patriotic to be skeptical of ones government not cheerlead them. $1.3 trillion! That cost isn’t worth it!
      - Arthur Petrini
        
        Blah blah blah…
      - rnsone
        
        Oh right, you want the US taxpayers to keep subsidizing the biggest welfare state on the planet, Israel.With bibi the biggest welfare queen on the planet. People know what Isreal is about dude, we just don’t say it aloud because we know the anti Semite card will be pulled. But that’s coming to an end soon as the world wakes up, enjoy your racist run douchebag.
    - Karl Pershing
      
      I hope the S-400 takes out some Israeli planes over Syria.
      - Arthur Petrini
        
        Yea man. I hope it misses, flies to where you live and land in your driveway taking out your car. Then you have to ride a bike to work for the rest of your life.
      - Karl Pershing
        
        Please man!
    - rnsone
      
      Free Palestine! Israel is a racist apartheid nuclear rogue criminal racist state! The world is waking up to the lies dude, that must really suck, don’t it? People are wise to the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine. The fanatical racism that exists there the world knows about. Zionists control the MSM but not the alternative and independent media. So your lies are coming to an end.
    - Jean Valette
      
      Unfortunately, recent reports and the repainting of the trucks at the CA airbase indicate the F-35 has a serious cooling problem which may lead to scrapping the whole project as it needs a serious redesign. Besides, it already got too expensive and dependent on too many components and specific facilities. There are two possibilities – either it would turn out the greatest multirole ever produced, as this often happens to designs initially plagued by serious problems or it will be scrapped.
- Jean Valette
  
  Did you really buy this bullshit broadcast by the government by “leaked” channels? Let me put it straight for you. A site of S-400 has power output in the milimeter band to detect the reduced radar cross section of the F-35 at closer ranges and this at a few idealistic conditions:
  – the F-35 flies straight against the SAM site
  – the F-35 moves no part – no tail, no ailerons. This is pretty impossible. Once moved, it increase greatly its radar section indicating to the S-400 crew this is not a bird.
  – The drones are teleported outside of the plane and just next to the SAM site. Well, this is not yet possible. So what happens when the plane needs to open a weapons bay, as if it carries any armament on its hard points it will have an increased radar signature? It loses its reduced radar cross section.
  
  You may have noted i don`t use stealth as people like to think of it as completely invisible which it isn`t. Besides, the detect ability also depends on the wavelength of the radar – a shown over Serbia – even old 2K12 launchers which are not even close to the S-300 and S-400 system but more closer to he Buk family, can detect aircraft with reduced radar signature. So, if operators know the limitations of such designs, they can set or modify the radar to be able to track for short periods planes like the F-35 or F-22. So drones you say? The time a F-35 would need to open its bay and release the drones would be longer than what a 48N6 or a Patriot missile needs to vapourise the plane. Besides, crew would already know this is not a bird but a plane so they will shoot at it and missiles would hit it. Thats`s it.
  
  The US did produce planes and still shows interest in the stealth technology because during the cold war they invested so much taxpayer funds in it, it is well understood and current evolution of it is not as expensive as it was back in the 70`s. If you already have it, work on it.
George_Costanza

And the S-500 is being finalized right now.
The S-500 has the ability to intercept the re-entry vehicle of US nuclear warheads.
- Pontious Pirate
  
  the S400 and S500 can also take down low orbit satellites bye bye US surveillance satellites.

Related Posts