Can Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 be upgraded to be as powerful as the S-400?
Currently, Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 air defense system already has components of the S-400, so is it possible to upgrade it to the Triumf standard with superior capabilities?
As is known, the S-400 Triumf air defense missile system was originally called S-300PMU-3 because it shared a significant amount of technology with earlier S-300 variants, including the S-300PMU-1 and S-300PMU-2.
Most notably, in addition to the 40N6 ultra-long-range missile with a range of 400 km, or the 48N6E3 long-range missile with a range of 250 km, the S-400 Triumf can also launch the two older 48N6E and 48N6E2 missiles.
Similarly, the S-300PMU-1/2 generations are also capable of firing the 48N6E3 missile, although their accuracy at limited range may be slightly inferior to the S-400. So, given that they share many basic components, could Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 system be upgraded to the Triumf standard?
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| The 96L6 all-altitude panoramic radar of the Vietnamese S-300PMU-1 system. |
It should also be noted that in Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 system, we are using a component of the S-400, namely the 96L6 all-altitude surveillance radar, instead of the 64N6E Big Bird radar used in the basic configuration.
This has proven that components of the S-300 and S-400 can work together, opening up great prospects for enhancing the combat capabilities of the S-300PMU-1 to near the S-400 or at least on par with the S-300PMU-2.
If Vietnam intends to deploy it, it could consider equipping its S-300 system with 48N6E2/E3 long-range interceptor missiles, adding components from the S-400, or upgrading the control software package to create synchronization between the systems; this is entirely feasible.
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| The self-propelled launcher with 48N6E missiles is part of Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 system. |
However, it should be noted that Russia is currently unwilling to provide modernization packages for the S-300 similar to those for the S-75 Volga (SA-2) or S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3) because this weapon is not as outdated as those two systems.
Furthermore, the most important reason to mention is that if customers intend to upgrade their S-300s to the S-400 level, it will directly affect Russia's Triumf sales, which is a key product.
In fact, Russia doesn't even sell the 9M96 missile bundled with the S-400 to its customers, despite the fact that without it, the S-400 would have difficulty intercepting low-flying targets, in order to maintain market share for the Pantsir-S1 and especially the S-350E Vityaz.
Therefore, the prospect of Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 long-range air defense missile system being modernized to match the S-400 Triumf is unlikely to materialize in the near future.
The most viable solution at present is simply to supplement it with interceptor missiles that have a longer range, such as the 48N6E2 with a range of 200 km.
