It’s not every day that a major U.S. media outlet tips its hat to a piece of Russian military hardware, but here we are. The Washington Post recently acknowledged the prowess of Russia’s S-400 air defense system, a piece of tech that’s giving the stealthy F-35 Lightning II Aircraft some serious competition. It sounds like the S-400 might just have the upper hand.
The S-400 Triumf, or the SA-21 Growler if you’re chatting in NATO lingo, is pretty much the LeBron James of air defense systems. It’s got an impressive range of nearly 400 kilometers and can launch a variety of missiles that make it a nightmare for any air threat, stealthy or not. This thing can spot a stealth fighter jet where most systems would just see empty sky.
Meanwhile, the F-35 has been cruising around, thinking it’s the top dog in the stealth world. That is until the S-400 came along and made it clear that it could spot and target these high-tech American birds. This sort of capability grab has not only been a technical shock but a geopolitical grenade, too—just ask Turkey. Their decision to buy the S-400 was about as well-received in the U.S. as a skunk at a lawn party, leading to them being booted from the F-35 program altogether.
The drama doesn’t stop there. Kathryn Wheelbarger, the then-U.S. acting assistant secretary of defense, pointed out that the S-400 was pretty much designed to be the F-35’s worst nightmare. And let’s not even get started on Gen. Tod Wolters, who practically had steam coming out of his ears when talking about the risks of having the F-35 and the S-400 in the same ZIP code.
Defense experts are tossing around some sleepless nights thinking about the S-400’s potential to learn too much about the F-35’s secret sauce, which could, theoretically, help Russia fine-tune their radar detection.
The S-400 can see the stealthiest of jets. The S-400 is like the heir that got the family mansion and a tech upgrade. It’s got roots in the old S-300 but with some snazzy improvements in radar systems, software, and missile types, giving it a bit of an edge in the whole “tag-you’re-it” game of missile defense.
At the heart of this giant is the Nebo-M radar system, a kind of triple-threat with its three distinct arrays working across different frequency bands. It’s like having glasses that let you see in night vision, x-ray, and Instagram filter all at once. The low-frequency arrays, the Nebo SVU and Protivnik G, can spot stealth fighters coming from afar.
To tighten up the game, the Nebo-M ropes in the Gamma S1 array, which operates in the sharper S and X-bands, enhancing its ability to keep an eye on these elusive targets.
Colonel Konstantinos Zikidis from the Hellenic Air Force, a real electronics guru, gives the scoop. According to his studies, under perfect conditions, these radars can spot an F-117 from up to 350 kilometers away. However, under heavy electronic jamming, that range drops to about 72 kilometers.
Integrating the S-400 into a broader air defense network really complicates the playground. Miltos Antoniades, a former Air Force Specialist, notes that dodging this sophisticated network isn’t as simple as just staying out of range. Tactics like flying super low to avoid radar (think Top Gun but with less beach volleyball) could skirt the S-400 but might bump you into other dangers, like the Tor M1 point-defense systems.
And if you think medium altitude might be safer, think again. That might just send you into the welcoming arms of combat air patrols, which can force a stealth aircraft to change course or blow their cover. Plus, add airborne and ship-borne radars into the mix, and the scenario becomes a real head-scratcher for any stealth pilot trying to sneak past.
Even if an F-35 manages to tiptoe within range and launch its missiles, the S-400 crew isn’t just going to sit there; they’re likely to spot the launch and kick off a variety of defensive moves, from radar shutdowns to firing off their own salvos, or even deploying some clever decoy tactics.
In the end, as the U.S. media grudgingly acknowledges the S-400’s ability to challenge stealth technology, the debate continues to evolve, adding layers to the global discourse on air defense and stealth capabilities.