Russia’s new tactic for bombarding Kyiv
Twice over the span of three days, on Dec. 11 and 13, Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles launched from ground-based systems — most likely the S-400. On those nights, Ukrainian air defense shot down eight and ten missiles, respectively.
After the strikes on Dec. 11, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat urged patience as authorities determined whether the missiles used were Iskander-M ballistic missiles or S-400 anti-aircraft guided missiles.
On Dec. 13, Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President, stated that “the enemy may have struck Kyiv with 48N6 missiles from the S-400 complex.” According to him, the target was a critical infrastructure object.
Experts from Defense Express military media outlet argue that if reports on the use of the S-400 are confirmed, this may indicate a dangerous trend in Russian missile terror. “Namely, [it means] that they can proceed to carry out systematic ballistic strikes on Kyiv with the aim of ‘immolating’ our citizens’ morale.”
NV explains what the S-400 complex is, what missiles it can launch, and how dangerous the 48N6 missiles are.
What the S-400 air defense system is
The Soviet S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, as well as its later S-400 modification, were designed to attack air targets like strategic and tactical aircraft, ballistic missiles, hypersonic targets, jammers, reconnaissance aircraft, and drones. They are all-purpose anti-aircraft weapons, both for the defense of important objects or for covering ground troops. However, during this war, Moscow has repeatedly used these missile systems for attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Read also: Ukraine eliminates 9 of 15 drones, two Kh-59 missiles in Russia’s latest nighttime attack of Ukraine
The difference between the S-300 and S-400 comes down to their ranges, with the more modern S-400 being theoretically capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 400 km away and at higher altitudes.
The S-400 long- and medium-range systems were adopted by Russia in 2007. The export version is called Triumph, and has been purchased by Turkey, India, and China. Notably, the sale of S-400 to Turkey, a NATO country, sparked a major scandal and cost Ankara the opportunity to purchase modern U.S. F-35 fighter jets.
The modern variation of the S-400 system consists of these components:
● A combat control center based in a Ural truck;
● A radar complex consisting of panoramic radar with anti-jamming protection mounted on a MZKT-7930 truck;
● Up to six anti-aircraft missile systems, each of which contains up to 12 mobile launchers and a multifunctional radar station with a range of up to 400 km (depending on the type of missiles);
● Anti-aircraft missiles (the complex can use several types of missiles);
● A technical support complex.
One S-400 system can target and hit up to six targets simultaneously.
The S-400 is manufactured by the Russian Almaz-Antey defense conglomerate, which is currently under EU and U.S. sanctions due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
What missiles does the S-400 complex use, and what makes the 48N6DM missile special
The capabilities of the S-400 complexes largely depend on the type of missiles it uses.
For example, the Soviet-era 5V55K and 5V55R missiles are equipped with high-explosive fragmentation warheads. They weigh 1.6-1.8 tons and carry warheads weighing about 133 kg. Their range for destroying aerial targets is 75 km, while their range when launched along a ballistic trajectory to hit ground targets is unknown and could be up to 110-120 km.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was able to develop the new 48N6 and 40N6 anti-aircraft missiles for the S-400. The 48N6DM has a much larger warhead, and most importantly, greater range. It can hit air targets at a distance of up to 250 km and carries a 180 kg warhead. According to Andriy Yermak, this is the type of missile Russia used to attack Kyiv on December 13.
Experts at Defence Express had previously warned of the 48N6DM missile’s top speed of 2.5 km/s. Thus, a flight of 230 km would take just a few minutes, demanding a very quick reaction from air defenses.
"Taking into account the guidance mechanism of the 48N6DM missile in ‘ground-to-ground’ mode, which, like the 5В55 [missile], is radio-controlled, i.e., for the accuracy of the strike, it is necessary to have direct radar visibility between the radar and the missile, at a launch range of 230 km, missile control is lost at altitude about 3 km. Then the missile simply falls in the vicinity of the target according to the inertial navigation system. 48Н6DM anti-aircraft missiles are equipped with contact detonators, which reacts to passing by an air target. In the event of an impact on a ground target, it can be triggered even at a low altitude or upon contact with surface", Defense Express explains.
Read also: This winter, Russia targets Kyiv with mostly ballistic missiles — HUR
In 2018, Russian state news agency TASS announced the completion of tests of the newest 40N6E long-range missile for the S-400 system. According to the report, these missiles are apparently capable of hitting air targets at a maximum distance of 380-400 km, intercepting incoming medium-range ballistic missiles (3000-3500 km) at superatmospheric altitudes. However, these claims remain unconfirmed.
These missiles are two-stage, with an active homing head that switches on at the end of the flight path.
New missiles for the S-400 were adopted by the Russian military in September 2018, but their number is likely to be very limited.
According to the manufacturer Almaz-Antey, the characteristics of guided missiles 40N6E are as follows:
● Maximum range against aerial targets of 380 km;
● Maximum range against medium-range ballistic missiles of 15 km;
● Minimum target engagement range of 5 km;
● Maximum target altitude of 30 km;
● Average missile flight speed of 1190 m/s;
● Mass of 2600 kg.
Use of S-400 against ground targets and for strikes on Kyiv
During its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly used anti-aircraft missiles to strike targets on the ground, including with its S-300 and S-400 systems.
The Russians seem to have modified their missiles for this purpose. Instead of a semi-active homing head, which is required to hit an airborne target, a satellite receiver is mounted instead, enabling control of the missile so that it flies to certain coordinates. At the same time, such strikes are very dangerous, since the missiles’ accuracy is dramatically reduced in comparison to shots at aerial targets.
Read also: Explosions rattle Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi Oblast as Russia launches Kinzhal missiles
In addition, the missile flies with a ballistic trajectory, so the projectile arrives at its target with great speed. There are mere minutes between missile launch and impact, so in most regions of Ukraine, where there are no Patriot systems, air defenses cannot shoot them down.
However, while Russia has constantly been bombing eastern and southern Ukraine with the S-300 air defense system, there have been relatively few applications of the S-400 against ground targets so far.
In particular, the last time Kyiv was bombarded with such missiles before Dec. 11-13 was nearly a year ago. On Jan. 14, 2023, the capital was shaken by loud explosions, without a preceding air raid alert. At that time, an infrastructure facility in the city was hit, and the General Staff announced that the capital had been attacked by 10 missiles fired from an S-400 system from the north, most likely from Russia’s Bryansk Oblast.
Defense Express published a photo of the debris and determined that it had come from 48N6DM missiles, which have a range of 250 km (for air targets).
The launch site of these 48N6DM missiles could also hypothetically be found at Belarus’s Zyabrovka airfield, which is located near Gomel, only 20 km from the border with Ukraine. This airfield has already been used as an S-300 launch area for strikes on ground targets in Chernihiv Oblast. At that time, Defense Express experts calculated that with the proven launch range of 48N6DM from 230 km and a hypothetical launch from Belarusian, the missile’s strike range would include not only Kyiv, but also the cities of Zhytomyr, Rivne, Lutsk, and Lviv.
In Crimea, S-400 complexes are part of the air defense system of the occupied peninsula, according to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
S-400 losses
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have already managed to destroy several S-400 systems, both in occupied Ukrainian territory and Russia itself.
On Oct. 4, Ukraine’s SBU security service drones hit an expensive S-400 air defense complex near the Russian city of Belgorod. Afterwards, in a video posted by the Russians, about 20 explosions were heard at the location of the S-400 system and its radar. At this time, power went out in neighboring settlements.
On Sept. 14, in the city of Yevpatoria in occupied Crimea, a successful special operation was carried out by SBU counterintelligence forces and the Ukrainian Navy, NV sources in the SBU reported. According to these sources, a S-400 system was struck by Ukrainian-made Neptune cruise missiles and drones.
First, SBU drones hit the radars and antennas which serve as the "eyes" of the complex. When the radar stations were disabled, Navy units hit the S-400 launchers with two Neptune missiles, the sources said.
On Aug. 23, at around 10:00 a.m., an explosion occurred near the village of Olenivka on the Tarkhankut Peninsula in occupied Crimea, which destroyed a Russian S-400 system.
In July 2023, when the Ukrainian defenders managed to destroy a S-400 system at the front, Defense Express wrote that "these are quite rare and important goals in all aspects." The July case was only the second confirmed case of an S-400 launcher being destroyed.
Last October, Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that on August 5, 2022, for the first time since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian S-400 air defense system somewhere in Ukraine.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
