S-400: THE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM WHICH HAS NO RIVALS!

 

Russian S 400 air defense system has created a lot of buzz.

This is probably the first time an Air Defense System has garnered so much attention andis being touted as a game changer.The system’s Anti Access Area Denial (A2AD) capabilities are potent.S 400 can be configured with different types of radars depending on threat environment.The primary radar has a range of around 600 km and is supplemented by many types of target acquisition radars some of which are thought to be capable of detecting even 5th generation stealth aircraft.

S 400 can track hundreds of target at a time, engage up to 36 targets at a given moment and simultaneously launch 72 missiles. It deploys different types of missile depending on the threat and can take out targets at a distance of up to 400 km.

The system is so sophisticated, that it can engage targets that are traveling at up to a speed of Mach 14.

America manufactures several Air Defense Systems.

The American Patriot Missile System is manufactured by Raytheon. It entered service in1981.Patriot systems have been sold to many countries like the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait to name a few.The Patriot system is expected to remain in the service until at least 2040.

The systems have been an important source of not only cash inflows but also is a tool to reassure allies. For example, Japan has many batteries of Patriot Missile PAC 3 system to defend against missile from North Korea.

The U.S also has Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).The system is designed to defend against short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. It was developed in after the experience of Iraq's Scud missile attacks during the Gulf War in 1991.

The THAAD interceptor relies on 'hit to kill’ methodology, uses no warhead and relies on its kinetic energy of missile to destroy incoming missiles in the air.The THAAD has seen interest from several countries like United Arab Emirates, South Korea.

S 400 has the potential to take sales away from Patriot & THAAD. For example, India has finalized a deal to acquire 5 regiments of Russian-made S-400 worth more than 5 billion dollars, even when it can face U.S sanctions. Turkey a NATO member, is also looking to buy S 400 in spite of U.S objections.

Hence, S 400 not only impacting sales of U.S systems but is also driving a wedge between the U.S and its allies.

U.S Air Force, as well as American allies, have large fleets of 4th generation fighter planes. Some countries are using the American fighters as is like Saudi Arabia, some have customized versions like Japan & Israel whereas others have developed their own jets like France. These jets were not designed to be stealthy and have fairly large Radar Cross Section (RCS) which makes them very vulnerable to a potent Air Defense System like the S 400. The threat perception can be judged from the fact that even Israel which has one of the

most well-equipped air force in the world had made high-level requests to Russia not to provide S 300 to Syria.

Viewers may note that S 300 is a generation old platform compared to S 400. Technically S 400 makes large parts of air fleet of not only the U.S but also of its allies obsolete.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters developed in the United States.The Pentagon began the F 35 program in 2001 with an aim to develop a single platform that can replace America's diverse fleet of warplanes which includes F 15, F 16, F 18 and A 10. The U.S, & partner nations plan to acquire over 3,000 F-35s through 2035, which, if delivered will make the F-35 one of the most numerous jet fighters.The fighter aircraft will be in service till 2050. It a very high stake program as not the only U.S but a large number of its allies, since they will depend on F 35’s capabilities to fight air war going forward.

F 35 was designed to be stealthy and use its low observable profile to strike targets without being detected. The importance of stealth for F 35 is huge since the aircraft is not a very capable dogfighter and lacks agility in the air.

 But notably, F 35’s airframe is not as stealthy as found in the F 22 Raptor

• Against x-band radars, it is only stealthy from front and rear;

• Against S-band radar, it is stealthy from the narrow front aspect,

• Against L-band radar, the limited reduction is achieved from direct front

It has a much greater reliance on radar-absorbing materials to maintain its stealth profile. Given that S 400 is touted by Russia to be able to counter stealthy aircraft, if it detects or gets a shot at F 35 in coming days, then it will be a massive blow to the U.S as well the partner nations who have invested huge amounts on the program. This will mean the all these air-forces will have a new fighter, bought with lots of money but still cannot operate in areas defended by S 400. This has significant ramifications since air dominance is the most important part of any modern-day conflict.

F 35 program has already been in the eye of the storm because of delays and huge cost overruns. A situation like will put a big question mark on America’s ability to develop military hardware that can keep it and its allies ahead of the game.It will also be a major boost to Russia, which is technologically the most competent rival of the U.S.