the development of russian military policy and finland
the development of russian military policy and finland
the development of russian military policy and finland
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Annex 2 · 79<br />
The plan to renew Russian Air Defence in <strong>the</strong> near future includes also <strong>the</strong><br />
acquisition <strong>of</strong> 100 (ten battalions) new, still under <strong>development</strong>, S-500<br />
Samoderzhets ("Czar") surface-to-air missiles, <strong>the</strong> first to be completed by<br />
2013 <strong>and</strong> 56 battalions <strong>of</strong> S-400Triumf (SA-21 Growler) missile systems. Two<br />
air defence regiments were armed with this system prior to 2010 <strong>and</strong> an additional<br />
five were to be procured in 2011. S-400 missile system is able to destroy<br />
cruise missiles <strong>and</strong> tactical missiles 400 km away. The S-400 missile system is<br />
already operational around Moscow <strong>and</strong> Kaliningrad. 285 A st<strong>and</strong>ard battalion<br />
includes eight launchers with four missiles each. 286<br />
The goal is to have as many as 23 S-400 air defence missile regiments (<strong>of</strong> 8 to<br />
12 missiles each) by 2015. It will <strong>the</strong>n be augmented by <strong>the</strong> more advanced S-<br />
500 system, currently under <strong>development</strong> <strong>and</strong> expected to be ready for production<br />
by 2013. Both <strong>the</strong> S-400 <strong>and</strong> S-500 systems are claimed to be superior<br />
to <strong>the</strong> U.S. Patriot PAC-3 in maximum speed, range, <strong>and</strong> accuracy. Russia will<br />
also continue to procure <strong>the</strong> Pantsir-S1 short-range surface-to-air missile, with<br />
at least 200 units expected to be added by 2016 to <strong>the</strong> 10 already in service in<br />
2010. 287<br />
All air defence regiments in <strong>the</strong> Russian Armed Forces will be equipped with<br />
advanced S-400 Triumf <strong>and</strong> Pantsir-S missile systems by 2020, Prime Minister<br />
Vladimir Putin said in March 2011. "We are planning to revamp our air defence<br />
network. All air defence regiments will receive new S-400 Triumf <strong>and</strong><br />
Pantsir-S systems," Putin told defence industry <strong>of</strong>ficials commenting on <strong>the</strong><br />
state arms procurement program until 2020. 288<br />
The S-400 system has a maximum range <strong>of</strong> up to 400 km <strong>and</strong> may engage targets<br />
up to an altitude <strong>of</strong> 40−50 kilometres. The system uses a range <strong>of</strong> missiles,<br />
optimized for engaging ballistic <strong>and</strong> cruise missiles.<br />
Pantsir-S is a short-to-medium range combined surface-to-air missile <strong>and</strong> antiaircraft<br />
artillery system designed to protect point <strong>and</strong> area targets. 289 It carries<br />
up to 12 two-stage solid-fuel surface-to-air missiles in sealed ready-to-launch<br />
285<br />
RIA Novosti, 9 April 2012, “S-400 Missiles Deployed in Russia’s Baltic Fleet”,<br />
[http://en.rian.ru/<strong>military</strong>_news/20120409/172702870.html]; See also NTI Global Security<br />
Newswire, 18 April 2012, “NATO Objects to Russian Deployment <strong>of</strong> Antimissile Units in<br />
Kaliningrad” [http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/nato-objects-<strong>russian</strong>-deployment-antimissile-systems-kaliningrad/].<br />
286<br />
Gorenburg, 2011a.<br />
287 Gorenburg, 2011.<br />
288<br />
RIA Novosti, 21 March 2011, “Russia to Revamp Air Defence with S-400, Pantsir-S<br />
Systems” [http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20110321/163128228.html].<br />
289 Ibid.
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