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 can it be upgraded to the Triumf standard with superior power?
As is known, the S-400 Triumf air defense missile system was originally named S-300PMU-3 because it shares a lot of technology with previous S-300 variants including S-300PMU-1 and S-300PMU2.
Most notably, the S-400 Triumf can launch both the older 48N6E and 48N6E2 missiles, in addition to the 40N6 super-long-range missiles with a range of 400 km, or the 48N6E3 long-range missiles with a range of 250 km.
Similarly, the S-300PMU-1/2 generations are also capable of firing 48N6E3 bullets, although the ability to accurately guide fire at limited ranges may be slightly inferior to the S-400. So when sharing many basic components, can Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 complex be upgraded to the Triumf standard?
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| All-altitude all-round radar 96L6 of Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 complex. |
It should be noted that in Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 complex, we are using a component of the S-400, which is the 96L6 all-altitude round-view radar instead of the 64N6E Big Bird type as the basic configuration.
This has proven that the components of the S-300 and S-400 can work together, opening up great prospects in improving the combat power of the S-300PMU-1 to approach the S-400 or at least equal to the S-300PMU-2.
If Vietnam intends to deploy, it can consider equipping its S-300 complex with 48N6E2/E3 long-range interceptor missiles, adding S-400 components or upgrading the control software package to create synchronization between the weapons, which is completely feasible.
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| Self-propelled launcher with 48N6E ammunition of Vietnam's S-300PMU-1 complex. |
However, it should be noted that Russia is currently not willing to provide modernization packages for the S-300 similar to the S-75 Volga (SA-2) or S-125 Neva/Pechora (SA-3) because this weapon is not as outdated as the two complexes above.
In addition, the most important reason to mention is that if customers intend to upgrade the S-300 to the same level as the S-400, it will directly affect Russia's Triumf sales, while this is the main product.
Reality also shows that Russia does not even sell 9M96 ammunition with the S-400 to customers, despite the fact that without it, the S-400 will have difficulty intercepting low-flying targets 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 be on par with the S-400 Triumf is unlikely to happen in the near future.
The only feasible solution at present is to supplement it with longer-range interceptor missiles such as the 48N6E2 200 km.
