Russia's pressing shortage of S‑300/400 air defense systems
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 the increasing destruction of critical Russian anti-aircraft missile systems, it's worth examining how many S-300/400 complexes 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
Since mid-April, Ukrainian armed forces have been systematically attacking Crimea with ATACMS missiles, costing approximately 2 million Canadian dollars each. They guarantee the destruction of air defence systems worth over 1.3 billion Canadian dollars.
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. The Russian Federation's arsenal still holds 63 divisions of S-300 systems, totalling about 100 divisions of S-300 and S-400. Let's 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 of Russia that needs protection, the Russians need over a thousand such divisions, and there are only about a hundred.
Kowalenko adds that Ukrainians are systematically destroying more launchers to weaken Russian air defence further 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 the 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 kilometers. 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.
Compared to the S-400 Triumf, the S-300 sets are also a crucial tool for the Russian Federation to counter airborne threats. The most advanced missiles for this complex measure about 8 meters long and over 0.5 meters in diameter. They accelerate during the flight to speeds up to 7,000 kilometres per hour and can hit a target moving at an altitude of up to 27 kilometres.
