Russia ready to sell S-400 to the US

"The S-400 is not an offensive system. It is a defensive system. We can sell it to the United States if they want," Sergei Chemezov, head of the Russian state corporation Rostec, said when asked why Russia sold the S-400 to Türkiye in an interview published onWashington PostFebruary 10

Russia approved the sale of S-400 air defense missile systems to Türkiye in late 2017. Ankara will become the first NATO member to integrate Russian technology into its North Atlantic defense system when the contract is completed.

The S-400, developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau, has been in service with the Russian military since 2007. The system can intercept targets at a distance of 40 km to 400 km. The S-400 is also considered one of the key factors in Russia's successful campaign to destroy the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Almaz is developing the S-500 system. During this time, orders for the S-400 have increased sharply. In addition to China and Türkiye, many other countries such as India, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are negotiating with Russia to buy the S-400.

According toRT, the demand for the S-400 has increased partly because this line of defense systems is highly reliable. The S-200, developed by Almaz since the 1960s, is still in service with many countries' armies.

"When the world political situation is tense, every country is looking for ways to ensure security, safety of airspace," Chemezov said. "Many countries want to buy defense systems. We have many orders. Of course, we compete with the United States and our systems are better."

The direct competitor of the S-400 is the American Patriot missile defense system. The S-400 can detect targets from a distance of 600 km and shoot them down from a distance of 400 km. The above two parameters for the Patriot are 180 km and 130 km. Both have a minimum target interception distance of 2 km and 10 km, respectively.

The S-400 and Patriot can intercept targets with a maximum speed of 17,280 km/h and 7,920 km/h. The two systems have a similar response speed, less than 10 seconds, but the S-400 is easier to deploy, going from moving to combat mode in just 5 minutes. The Patriot takes up to 25 minutes.

Based on the above information, Chemezov suggested that the US could buy the S-400 to protect its airspace. "This is not a problem from a strategic and security point of view," Chemezov said. "On the contrary, a country will feel safer if it can protect its airspace well. Those who intend to attack should think carefully."