С-400. ZRK S-400 "Triumph". S-400, missile system

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In recent years, in the armies of the whole world, the emphasis is on means that allow you to destroy the enemy and enemy equipment at a distance, avoiding a direct collision. Domestic aircraft are no exception. Old missile systems are being modernized, new ones are being created.

But at all times the means to defeat enemy aircraft played a special role. In addition, this list has recently included heavy UAVs and missiles. One of the promising means of their destruction is the S-400 complex, which is better known as the Triumph.

Purpose

This missile system can be used to destroy jammers, reconnaissance and reconnaissance aircraft, attack aircraft and fighters, UAVs, as well as enemy missile weapons of various types.

Advantages over existing designs

The S-400 air defense system was developed on the basis of the S-300, but has much better performance in all areas. The new complex is not only cheaper, but also 2.5 times more efficient.

Triumph's uniqueness lies in the fact that the complex can work not only with new missiles,which were specially designed for him, but also with older models that were produced for the S-300 and the like. Even in the basic version, the complex is equipped with four variants of missiles at once. If deployed, it allows you to quickly organize several echelons of air defense, organize an attack on enemy air reconnaissance bases.

Differing from previous models, the S-400 is almost completely automated, which can significantly reduce the number of personnel required for its maintenance and repair. Due to the highest degree of integration with other air defense systems and MLRS, it can be used in any unit of the RF Armed Forces.

Developer info

This complex was designed in the legendary Almaz design bureau, with the active participation of the general designer A. Lemansky. Specialists from the Design Bureau "Fakel", the Novosibirsk Research Institute of IP (measuring instruments), as well as other design bureaus related to precision engineering participated in the development.

Date of Adoption

The complex entered service and the database at the end of April 2007, which is quite recent by military standards. The first settlement that this air defense system began to cover from the air was the city of Elektrostal, Moscow Region. In the NATO environment, the complex is known under the designation SA-20.

What is included

In terms of structure and equipment, the S-400 is actually no different from its predecessor. The air defense system includes a multifunctional radar, a missile launcher, andalso fully autonomous guidance and target designation systems. As for the differences, the new model provides tracking of a much larger number of targets, and the probability of their simultaneous destruction is higher.

Directly, the S-400 "Triumph" includes several structural elements at once. The 30K6E automatic control and guidance system includes:

• 55K6E battle command post.
• The 91H6E radar is used for quick detection and tracking of the enemy.

The 98Zh6E anti-aircraft complex itself also includes additional components:

• 92H2E air target control and tracking radar.
• For the direct launch of missiles, launchers 5P85TE2 or 5P85SE2 are used.
• The list of missiles that this complex is compatible with is impressive. 48H6E, 48H6E2, 48H6E3 can be launched. This air defense system also allows missile launches to destroy ultra-long-range targets 40N6E.

If the current tactical situation requires it, the following optional means can be additionally attached to the fire crew:

• Specially designed to track targets at the maximum available height of the 96L6E radar.
• 40V6M tower, designed to improve the signal on the 92H6E antenna.

Basic information about SAMs

The S-400 "Triumph" complex was created, among other things, to combat enemy precision weapons, making it possible to shoot down even small and high-speed ballistic missiles. Huge advantageis that the weapons used not only destroy the air target, but completely undermine its controls and the entire warhead. It should be borne in mind that the probability of hitting an air target is:

• For manned targets, this indicator is at least 0.9%, and the probability of hitting is practically not affected even by the pilots performing special evasive maneuvers.
• For unmanned targets, the probability is about 0.8%. Even if a missile or UAV is only partially hit, in 70% of cases, the complete destruction of their warhead is achieved.

As for the chassis, on which containers could be installed, each of which contains a S-400 missile, the choice is limited only by the equipment of a particular military unit. So, almost all modifications of MAZ, KAMAZ vehicles, as well as KRAZ and URAL can be used in this role.

Other details

It should be noted that several types of missiles can be combined in launch canisters at once, which contributes to the creation of a powerful layered defense that cannot be overcome by any of the Western missiles in service.

The autonomy and mobility of the system is facilitated by the fact that it is equipped with powerful generators, which make the S-400 Triumph a unique model of equipment that is capable of effectively solving combat missions in a long separation from base units.

Radio communication is being established between the component parts of the complex, both by wire and bywireless channel. The first option is used much more often, since it provides maximum protection of transmitted data from interception. However, wireless communication also has the right to exist, since in combat conditions the speed of deployment and the mobility of the system are much more important.

Management

As is the case with most similar systems, control is carried out using a combined scheme. For almost the entire duration of the flight, the rocket is guided by the data that was loaded into its control chip from the radar of the complex. Only at the maximum approach to the target, the warhead begins to follow the target, actively following its movements using its own guidance system, which is located in the warhead.

If we talk about the distance at which the S-400 (missile system) can hit the target, then in the standard state this distance is 120 kilometers. The defeat of the object is possible at an altitude of 5 to 30 kilometers.

It takes only eight seconds from the moment the target is detected to the moment it is launched. The service life of each rocket is about 15 years. In the event that special certification bodies can confirm the preservation of the operational properties of the equipment, this period can be significantly extended.

Destruction of warhead

The main requirement of a modern air defense system is not just to shoot down a missile, but to ensure the guaranteed destruction of its warhead. This is especially true if the system is located in close proximity toobject protected by it. It is highly undesirable if a downed missile falls on him when the explosive or nuclear warhead is completely preserved in its body.

Only in the case when the warhead is intercepted while the enemy missile is approaching the target, such an unfavorable scenario can be ruled out. The destruction of the most dangerous parts of enemy equipment can be achieved only in two cases: either with a direct hit on the warhead, or with a sufficiently compact effect of fragments on it.

Target interception

As we have already said, in many respects the used ammunition distinguishes the S-400. This rocket complex is remarkable in that the rocket does not start immediately from the container, but is thrown to a height of up to 30 meters with the help of a squib. This not only guarantees the complete safety of operators, but also allows you to achieve the highest possible accuracy when hitting targets.

Simultaneously with the launch of the propulsion engine, the rocket turns on an active jamming suppression system that allows you to bypass almost all known types of interception protection. It should be noted that the missile has its own gas-dynamic maneuvering system, thanks to which it can successfully deviate from a collision with false targets, constantly pursuing the desired object.

Conditions for guaranteed destruction of the missile warhead

As we have already said, one of the conditions for a successful defeat of a warhead is a direct hit on it. It can be understood that this may not be done so often. And thereforethe main method is a controlled and remotely initiated (according to scanning data from the missile warhead of the complex) ejection of fragments. The S-400 complex, the characteristics of which are given below, provides a point peripheral detonation of an enemy missile.

If the jamming system of the enemy target is too successful, then the centralized detonation of the missile is activated, as a result of which a symmetrical cloud of fragments rushes to the target.

The most important performance characteristics of the complex

• Target detection range reaches 600 km.
• Up to 300 (!) heterogeneous objects can be tracked simultaneously.
• The maximum effective range is up to 240 kilometers.
• The target can be hit at speeds up to 4800 m/s.
• Up to 36 enemy planes or missiles can be attacked at the same time.
• Up to two missiles can be fired at each of these targets at a time.
• The deployment time of the S-400 complex, the characteristics of which are given here, is only 5-7 minutes.
• Before overhaul, the system is capable of operating up to 10 thousand hours.

What can this system interact with?

It should be noted that the S-400 air defense system can effectively interact not only with air and ground guidance systems, but even with military satellites in orbit around the planet. When creating the complex, the specialists were guided by the principle of the maximum possible compatibility, so that it can be used with equal success in any grouping of the RF Armed Forces.

Especiallypromising from this point of view is the complex of radar surveillance and guidance - AK RLDN. This equipment can perform automatic reconnaissance of enemy airspace in order to ensure maximum effectiveness of both air defense systems and attack aircraft.

The S-400 system works especially effectively with its A-50 modification, as well as with the modernized A-50U replica, which includes the Shmel-M radio engineering complex. It is installed on the Il-76 reconnaissance aircraft, so that the air defense system can receive information about potentially dangerous objects that are thousands of kilometers away. In addition, combinations of various types of ground-based and air-based RTK (radio-technical complexes) are currently being tested.

The purpose of these experiments is to find the most informative and inexpensive option. We note right away that of all the air defense systems that exist not only in the West, but also in our country, this particular complex is the cheapest, most reliable and effective. The accuracy of missile destruction, which the S-400 Triumf missile system has, is in no way inferior to that of the S-300, but all other indicators are much better.