Ukraine degrades Russia’s cutting-edge S-400 air defense systems
Ukrainian forces are increasingly successful at targeting Russian S-400 Triumf anti-air systems in Crimea, Newsweek wrote on Sept. 20, citing Sidharth Kaushal of the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank
The loss of an S-400 system, though still relatively rare, is a painful, expensive, and humiliating hit to Russia's air defense coverage. Each S-400 battery costs around $200 million, according to Kaushal.
"Of course, the system can be replaced, but it is still not a trivial loss," the expert said.
S-400 systems are interlinked with other anti-air systems like Buk, meaning that if an S-400 is taken out, it "undercuts the functionality of the local air defense cluster as a whole."
At the start of 2023, Russia had around 96 S-400 mobile surface-to-air missile systems, also known by their NATO moniker SA-21 Growler, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
It is difficult to get an accurate picture of Russian losses in mainland Ukraine and in occupied Crimean, but according to open-source intelligence outlet Oryx, Russia has lost key components of its S-400 batteries on at least five separate occasions, including command posts, launchers, and radars.
The S-400 is Russia's "flagship" air defense system, yet Russia losing several S-400s in recent months is significant for several reasons, according to military expert David Hambling. The first is that the S-400 "appeared to have performed well previously but now appears vulnerable." The loss of S-400s had made Russian targets in Crimea more vulnerable to Ukraine launching Anglo-French Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles.
"We may now be seeing the start of a trend where S-400s are increasingly targeted," said Hambling.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have confirmed that they successfully destroyed a Russian S-400 anti-air system near Yevpatoriya in Crimea, according to a press release on Sep. 14. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that they had downed 11 drones over the occupied peninsula overnight.
Speaking to NV, confidential sources confirmed that an S-400 anti-air missile system was destroyed in the operation. The target came under assault by drones and Ukrainian-made Neptune cruise missiles. SBU drones incapacitated the complex’s radar and antennas, followed by naval forces firing two Neptune missiles.
This marked the second time a Triumf system met its demise, with the prior incident occurring at Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea on Aug. 23.
S-400 Triumf is Russia’s state-of-the-art long-range surface-to-air missile system. A full complex comes with a hefty price tag of $1.2 billion.
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