Russia's dwindling air defence: S‑300 and S‑400 shortages exposed
The Russians have far fewer long-range S-300/400 anti-aircraft complexes than they need, reports the Ukrainian agency Unian, which cites calculations by military analyst Oleksandr Kowalenko.
In recent weeks, information has increasingly been coming from the front about the destruction of Russian S-300/400 systems by Ukrainians. The aggressor army lost this weapon during the June attack in the Belgorod region, but also the shelling with MGM-140 ATACMS missiles at the Dzhankoy airport in Crimea.
In light of these increasing destructions of the key Russian anti-aircraft missile systems, it is worth examining how many S-300/400 complexes actually remain in the Russian Federation's arsenal. Analyst Oleksandr Kowalenko has calculated this, and according to him, the aggressor's army has significantly fewer of these weapon systems than needed to protect the country from air threats.
Russians have fewer and fewer S-300/400 systems
Kowalenko explained that since mid-April, Ukrainian armed forces have been systematically attacking Crimea with ATACMS missiles costing approximately £1.2 million each. They guarantee the destruction of air defence systems worth over £800 million.
According to the analyst, Ukrainians managed to destroy at least three S-400 divisions in Crimea alone, while 44 divisions of these complexes remained in Russian service at the beginning of 2024. In addition, the Russian Federation's arsenal still holds 63 divisions of S-300 systems, totalling about 100 divisions of S-300 and S-400. Let us add that the standard size of a Russian division is 12 launchers.
Although the number of S-300/400 systems currently in Russian possession might seem enormous, the analyst has a different opinion. Considering the territory that needs protection, the Russians need over a thousand such divisions, but there are only about a hundred.
Kowalenko adds that Ukrainians are systematically destroying more launchers to further weaken Russian air defence and provide Ukrainian missiles with enough space to carry out further attacks. The Russian Federation, on the other hand, finds it very difficult to rebuild destroyed S-300/400s due to it being a very costly and time-consuming process. Hence, according to the analyst, the number of divisions will continue to shrink.
Let us recall that the S-300 complexes are one element of the Russian missile defence shield. An additional element is the S-400 Triumf, which is essentially an upgraded version of the older S-300. These weapons are valuable because they can intercept almost any airborne threat—aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
The S-400 Triumf's range is specified as 40-400 kilometres. The set uses various missiles for firing, the most popular of which is the over 2-tonne 48N6DM/48N6E3. Its warhead weighs nearly 200 kilograms and hits targets approximately 250 kilometres from the launch site.
The S-300 sets, older compared to the S-400 Triumf, are also crucial tools for the Russian Federation to counter airborne threats. The most advanced missiles for this complex measure about 8 metres in length and over 0.5 metres in diameter. They accelerate during flight to speeds of up to 7,000 kilometres per hour and can hit a target moving at an altitude of up to 27 kilometres.
