During King Salman's recent visit to Moscow, Saudi Arabia agreed to purchase the state-of-the-art S-400 Triumf missile defense system.
The deal marks the second time in September that a US ally has decided to buy the Russian S-400, following Türkiye’s $2.5 billion deal to buy the advanced system, further straining relations between Washington and Ankara.
The S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) is a fourth-generation long-range missile defense system, which Russia began developing in 1993. It is the successor to the S-200 and S-300, and became operational in 2007.
The S-400 can shoot down fighter jets, drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. It can take down targets at an altitude of 5-10m above the ground, something no other air defense system in the world can do at the same time.
The S-400 complex has a range of about 240km to 400km. The system's radar can detect targets 600km away and 40-50km high, and can track 300 targets simultaneously.
The S-400 is currently deployed by Russia in Kaliningrad, Syria, and the Crimean peninsula.
Russia exports the S-400 to many countries, not just Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. In 2015, China bought six S-400 systems. In 2016, India bought five systems.
According to VNN
