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Russia’s S-400 Triumph Isn’t as Good as They Think It Is
Russia’s S-400 Triumph is often celebrated as the zenith of air defense — especially with regard to surface-to-air missile capabilities on the modern battlefield.
But recently, I’ve started to have second thoughts about the Triumph’s capabilities.
My first hint that something might be up was a situation in Syria where US Air Force (USAF) stealth aircraft came well within the Triumph’s proximity range and slipped by undetected.
You won’t find this in the news — this was told to me by several surveillance radar comrades while attending a recent AWACS reunion.
As a reminder, I worked on the radar system of the E-3 Sentry AWACS while serving in the Air Force.
But there’s also the well-publicized news of Ukrainian suicide drones flying hundreds of kilometers through some of [presumably] the most heavily protected airspace in Western Russia to strike Russian air bases.
The Triumph is “reputed” for its ability to engage and neutralize a diverse spectrum of aerial threats over distances up to 350 kilometers.
Reputed where, you ask?
On the internet, of course — in Air Force chatrooms, private Facebook groups, hidden Discord servers, Russian military blogs, and military gamer hubs.
