The evidence of a new and unexpected weapon appeared on 5th December morning when mysterious explosions hit three Russian airbases. Ukraine demonstrated an apparent unique ability to penetrate hundreds of kilometres deep into Russian air space with attacks on three Russian air bases, namely Kursk, Engels and Ryazan airbases.
The Engels base, near the city of Saratov, is at least 600 km from the nearest Ukrainian territory. Another happened at the Dyagilevo military airbase near Ryazan, just 150 miles from Moscow and Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.
Russia used Kursk, Engels and Ryazan airbases to carry out bombing missions in Ukraine. And that the asymmetric advantage Moscow has enjoyed this year – the ability to launch cruise missiles safely from deep inside Russia itself – is under threat.
Ukraine modified Soviet-era Tu-141 first-generation surveillance drone to carry out the one-way mission to Russia and struck the Russian airbase destroying two Tu-95 nuclear bombers.
Experts question the capability of the S-400 air defence system. Russia advertised S-400 Triumph as a super weapon but failed in Syria, and S-400 failed to protect a crucial military base near Moscow. Russia set up four S-400 regiments defending national airspace in the Moscow region, the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, and the Eastern Military District.
Let’s examine why Russia’s S-400 air defence system is another propaganda piece of trash.
The S-400 Triumph air defense system
The S-400 Triumph air defence system integrates a multifunction radar, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and a command and control centre. It can fire four types of missiles to create a layered defence with Pantsir missiles.
The S-400 was developed to upgrade the S-300 series of surface-to-air missile systems. The system was exported to India, China, Algeria and Turkey.
Russian propaganda advertised the S-400 air defence system as the best in the world. However, recent Ukrainian attacks on the Russian nuclear airbase proved that the Russian air defence system is a dud.
Israeli Air Force regularly carried out missions over Syria using the F-16 Fighting Falcon fitted with Rafael Sky Shield jamming pod. Israeli Air Force’s F-35I Adir Fighter Jet flew over Russian Airbase in Syria, protected by S-400 surface-to-air missile and dropped bombs on Iranian targets.
The S-400 Triumph comes with Nebo-M radar, destroyed in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict using the Kamikaze drone.
Turkey has conducted thorough tests using Turkish drones and the F-16 fighter jet and disclosed the low efficacy of the S-400 surface-to-air missile against drones and low-altitude aerial targets.
The latest Ukrainian attack on the Russian nuclear airbase 150 km from Moscow proved that the S-400 system’s panoramic radar, Nebo-M VHF mobile radar, and Gamma-C1E mobile radar station do not detect slow-moving drones and low-altitude fighter jets.
The S-400 surface-to-air missile is another dud like the Pantsir and Buk missiles.
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