According to the Missile Defense Project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the S-400 Triumf (NATO name SA-21 Growler) Missile System was developed during the late 1990s and was first deployed in Moscow in August 2007.

The concept behind S-400 can be traced back to the S-75 (NATO name SA-2 Guideline) Surface to Air Missile (SAM) that actually shot down the United States Air Force (USAF) Lockheed U-2 Ladybird – (U-2 Incident) – over the Soviet Union on May 1, 1960.

S-400: Constituent Elements and Capabilities

The S-400 is one of the most advanced anti-air missile systems in the world. It has the tracking range of 600 kilometres while it can engage targets at the range of 400 kilometres. The 91N6E target acquisition and battle management radar, 92N6E target engagement and fire control radar and N6L6E all-altitude acquisition radar – actually serve as the centre of gravity of the S-400. This combination of multiple radars adds credibility and versatility to the S-400.

These radars are jam resistant and can withstand strong electromagnetic spectrum aimed at them. Apart from this, S-400 radars can conduct Electronic Warfare (EW) to jam, sabotage, and even disable enemy airborne radars. According to RAND Corporation, these radars have another capability that they can work and operate in active as well as passive manners.

Franz-Stefan Gady argued that the newer version of S-400 has the capability to engage targets at the maximum altitude of 185 kilometres (607,000 feet): however, it is unclear that these missiles are operational in Syria or not. Gady also argued that Russia might use S-400 for Anti-Access and Area Denial (A2-AD) purposes. On the other hand, Sputnik News reported that S-400 can engage targets up to the altitude of 27 kilometres (almost 90,000 feet) and retains the capacity of engaging almost every air asset and arsenal including B-52........

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