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| Russian-made S-400 Missile Air Defense System or US-made Patriot Missile |
International Military - Similar to Russia, the United States also has an air defense missile system, namely the Patriot missile. When compared with the Russian-made S-400, which is more sophisticated between the Patriot missiles and the S-400?
However, can Patriot missiles be matched with Russian S-400 missiles?
Russia's prolonged invasion of Ukraine caused the Zelensky-led country to continue to ask for help from the West and the United States. The US is also reported to have asked Turkey to send assistance with the S-400 air defense system to Ukraine, but there has been no official request and response from Ankara.
To help Ukraine win air strikes from Russia, a number of NATO countries sent assistance in the form of Patriot missiles to Slovak territory. The Patriot missile is one of the mainstays of the US and the most advanced to ward off missile attacks.
The Patriot missile is claimed to be able to deflect tactical ballistic missiles and destroy warplanes and cruise missile shipments. This Patriot missile air defense system is equipped with four missiles on each launcher.
To move the Patriot missiles, the launch tube is mounted on a truck trailer with an 8x8 chassis. The vehicle for the Patriot missile uses the MAN KAT 1 8x8.. It takes about 25 minutes to get into a ready-to-fire position to launch the missile towards the target.
The Patriot missile is claimed to be able to track targets up to 100 kilometers away from radar or command post vehicles. Here are some of the targets the US-made Patriot missile air defense system can track:
- Fighter aircraft at a distance of 110 km - 130 km.
- Bomber aircraft at a distance of 160 km - 190 km.
- Missiles at a distance of 85 - 100 km.
- Missile warhead in the range of 60 - 70 km.
Patriot missiles can also hit targets moving at a speed of 8 km per hour. This missile can strike 36 targets at once and track the movements of 125 targets at the same time.
In terms of capabilities, the Russian S-400 is arguably superior to the US Patriot missile. Russia's S-400 missiles also use four missiles, but of different types.
The four types of missiles on the S-400 are for a very long target range of 400 km, a long range of 250 km, a medium range of 120 km and a short range of 40 km. One system containing 8 missile divisions can control 72 launchers and 384 missiles. Very effective, right?
The Russian S-400 missile system can destroy enemy missiles and track all types of fighter jets, including stealth fighters. This missile also has Electronic Counter Countermeasure technology that can protect its system from electronic attacks or jamming.
The S-400 can also be easily mobilized because the launch station is mounted on a large truck. The Russian S-400 air defense system is very difficult to penetrate by enemy attacks, including cruise missiles, even fighter planes.