Why should NATO fear Russia's S-400?
The United States and its NATO allies should be wary of the S-400 air defense missile systems because of their potential use as a weapon in economic warfare, the National Interest magazine argues.
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| Photo: Sputnik |
The publication emphasizes that this defense system has a range of strategic advantages.
Firstly, there are profits from the sale of air defense missile systems: among the existing and potential buyers are China, India, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. This contributes to economic diversification and provides a basis for weapons modernization.
Secondly, there is Russia's prestige and global standing as a developer of advanced weapons systems.
Thirdly, it is necessary to establish and develop relationships with the countries that are buyers of the S-400, because in addition to purchasing the air defense missile systems, it is also necessary to train military personnel to work with them and carry out maintenance.
And finally – there's the possibility of using air defense systems in "hybrid warfare." Thus, the newspaper writes, Russia's sale of S-400s to Türkiye has led to a split within NATO. If the deal goes through, Moscow will deploy systems with powerful radar stations on the alliance's territory.
The publication emphasizes that Washington's threats of sanctions and exclusion from the F-35 program related to the purchase of Russian weapons were not without reason. The Turkish government insists that it will not abandon the purchase of S-400s.
