Russia to deploy S-400 air defence systems around Moscow in August

In the meanwhile, Russia will deploy its first air defence battalion equipped with new S-400 missile systems around Moscow on 6 August, reports Novosti, the Russian news and information agency. According to defence sources, a regular S-400 battalion comprises at least eight launchers and 32 missiles and a mobile command post.

The S-400 Triumf (NATO codename SA-21 Growler) is a new air defence missile system developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau as an upgrade of the S-300 family.

"A battalion equipped with S-400 Triumf air defence systems and a command post will be put on combat duty (around Moscow) 6 August," said Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky earlier this week.

According to the Novosti report, Russia had successfully conducted live firing tests of the S-400 air defence complex at the Kapustin Yar firing range in the Astrakhan Region on 12 and 13 July.

Drobyshevsky said units of the first battalion had arrived at their deployment site in the Moscow Region and were preparing to assume combat duty.

S-400 has been designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), or twice the range of the US MIM-104 Patriot, and 2.5 times that of the S-300PMU-2.

The system is reportedly highly capable of destroying stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles with an effective range of up to 3,500 km (2,200 miles), and a speed of up to 4.8 km (3 miles) per second.

Experts believe that the ability to intercept and destroy cruise missiles and ballistic missiles makes S-400 Triumf a crucial part of theater missile defenses.

Lieutenant General Alexander Gorkov, the Air Force air defense chief, said earlier in July that Russia planned to deploy new air defense systems primarily around all strategically important administrative and political centers in two stages by 2015.

The Russian Air Defense Forces, which are part of the Air Force, currently deploy more than 30 regiments equipped with S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) missile complexes, which will be gradually replaced with S-400 systems.