In the modern era, few surface-to-air missile systems have created as much impact as the S-300 and S-400 families from Russia. These highly regarded air-defense systems have become major strategic assets for Russia, which has been exported to a plethora of countries and key arms in numerous international hotspots.
The S-300 family consists of Russian-made families of SAM systems able to engage aircraft and UAVs and offers limited cruise and ballistic missile defense. The S-300P variant was the Soviet Union’s answer for air defense during the 1960s and 1970s. For its part, the S-300V adds anti-ballistic missile capability and is similar in many respects to the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability -2 (PAC-2), also known as the SA-23A Gladiator and the SA-23B Giant.
The S-300P was developed to replace the aging Soviet S-25 Berkut and S-75 Dvina mobile SAM systems, as well as to respond to the newly emerging long-range air-based cruise missile threat. Development began in 1967 under the direction of the Almaz Central Design Bureau, entering operational service in 1978. In total, by the year 2000, the Russian air defense forces fielded approximately 1,900 S-300 launchers; however, that number dropped to around 800 by 2017.
Since its adoption into service, the S-300P has been fielded by nearly two dozen countries worldwide. To date, it has not entered combat service; however, its test record suggests a similar outcome to that of the MIM-104 Patriot PAC-2. The United States purchased components of the system from Belarus in 1994 for evaluation.
The S-300P is a core component of the Russian-led CIS JADS. Production The S-300P is no longer produced, as of 2016, but export orders are being fulfilled with refurbished models. International deployments of the system to Crimea, and Syria and its export to Iran have made the S-300P the focus of considerable international attention.
Following the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, Russia deployed S-300P units to the peninsula. In October 2016, the deployment of the system was conducted at Russia’s naval base in Tartus, Syria. The Russian military spokesman, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, threatened the US that it would use its air defense systems S-300s to target any aircraft attacking the Russian or Syrian forces.
Iran had been trying to buy several S-300P systems since 2007 to deter the United States, Israel, or GCC countries from air strikes against it. However, following the 2015 JCPOA that cleared the way, Russia firmed up the sale and completed delivery in October 2016. Iran has reportedly deployed this unit to guard its Fordow uranium enrichment facility.
The S-300V was developed to incorporate a ballistic missile defense capability to the previous S-300P system and entered into service in steps, with complete deployment achieved by 1988. In October 2016, Russia deployed S-300V systems in Syria at its naval base in Tartus and in Crimea along with the S-300P models. In October 2016, Russian state media reported that some S-300Vs were sold to Iran following the renegotiation of the 2007 Iranian acquisition contract. Not surprisingly, the S-300Vs have been placed in Russia’s Kaliningrad Enclave, along with S-400s, to create an A2AD zone over much of central Europe.
The S-400 Triumph, also known as the SA-21 Growler, is a next-generation Russian surface-to-air missile air defense system. Its deployments in Syria and sales to Turkey have further solidified Russia’s position in the global arms market. The general range of application of the S-400 system includes all types of aerial targets: aircraft, UAVs, and ballistic and cruise missiles.
As explained by professional missile systems analyst Steve Zaloga, the S-300 has three systems: the S-300P, the S-300V, and the S-300F for ship defense. He also covers the supplementary S-350 system and the new generation S-400 system, before concluding with an overview of the very latest S-500 system, which has been in development to counter ballistic missiles and hypersonic cruise missiles.
During the past three decades, the S-300 family has represented probably the most famous SAM system in the world. The apparent continued fielding and exportation of these systems are having a profound impact on global military dynamics.