Third S-400 Regiment To Defend Russia’s Far East

February 21, 2011 by Tamir Eshel DEFENSE UPDATE

Russia will deploy the third S-400 Triumph air-defense unit in the Far East. Photo: RIA-Novosti

Russia is beginning to deploy the third S-400 Triumph Air Defense Missile System with an air-defense regiment based in Russia’s Far-East. S-400 (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) was developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300PMU-3 air defense missile system. Development began in 1999 and the first unit was declared operational in 2007 – the first S-400 regiment stationed near the town of Elektrostal. The second unit has recently completed training at Kapustin Yar and is currently shipping equipment to its permanent base outside Dmitrov near Moscow. The base is expected to become operational in March 2011. An S-400 regiment comprises two squadrons each equipped with eight launchers (a total of 32 ready to fire missiles per squadron). The Triumph unit employs three different missiles to cover its entire envelope – the very long range 40N6, long range 48N6E3 and short range 9M96E or 9M96E2 missiles. The S-400 system has demonstrated its capability to perform ballistic missile interception, by successfully intercepting a ballistic missile target with an upgraded 48N6DM interceptor missile.