Russian weakness exposed. Significant losses in just one week

The British military intelligence has reported that, within a week, Russia has lost at least four SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) launchers. According to Defense Express, this shows the vulnerability of the Russian air defense system and strains the remaining systems and their operators. The list of destroyed military equipment reportedly includes S-400 launchers, a primary anti-aircraft system in Russia. So, what do we know about it?

Russian media supplied the information about the obliteration of three S-400 systems in the Luhansk region towards the end of October. As suggested by the Defense Express, Ukrainians, and British military intelligence, the losses could potentially be more extensive. It's worth mentioning that this is the military equipment lost during Ukrainian attacks within a single week. The total number of terminated S-400 anti-aircraft systems in Ukraine since the war's commencement is significantly higher.

The Ukrainian service highlights that the loss of additional S-400 systems might overburden other Russian systems and their operators. This could potentially result in a weakened air defense in other operational areas, should Moscow decide to replace the wrecked weapons with new ones. They further noted that such a predicament could be linked to the provision of modern, precision weapons to Ukraine, which are particularly challenging to guard against.

The S-400 Triumph (NATO code: SA-21 Growler) is an anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense system developed by the Almaz Design Bureau. Its origins trace back to the late 80s. The system was engineered to annihilate airborne targets. The primary mission of the S-400 is to intercept airplanes and helicopters, but also ballistic missiles (including intercontinental missiles with nuclear warheads in their final flight phase) and smaller drones. Depending on the missile used, the operational range of the launcher varies from 25 miles (missile weighing around 772 pounds) to even 236 miles (missile weighing around 3968 pounds). The weapon can simultaneously strike 36 targets.

The S-400 system, an enhancement of the S-300 system, is "twice as effective as previous Russian air defense systems and can be deployed in five minutes," as highlighted by Army Technology. Features of this system include multifunctional radar, autonomous detection and tracking systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and a command and control center.